DOT 19-07
Friday, February 16, 2007
Contact: Sarah Echols
Tel.: (202) 366-4570
Nation's Top Transportation Official Urges Manufacturers to Provide Free or
Discounted DOT Certified Helmets or Riderr Safety Training with the Purchase of
Every New Motorcycle
Saying “the time has come to make the helmet standard safety equipment,” U.S.
Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters today called on manufacturers to
provide free or heavily discounted DOT certified helmets or rider safety
training with the purchase of every new motorcycle sold in the United States.
“Helmets and proper training are just as important as brakes or headlights when
it comes to the well-being of motorcyclists,” Secretary Peters said. ”We
shouldn't be letting any customer take a bike out of the store without a helmet
as part of the package. Safety shouldn't have to be an option when purchasing a
motorcycle.”
Secretary Peters said only 58 percent of riders wear helmets today, which is
down 13 percent from just four years ago. She added that manufacturers could
help reverse the trend by getting helmets into riders’ hands and training them
how to ride safely, noting that 700 motorcyclists would survive crashes every
year if they wore helmets.
During remarks to the Motorcycle Industry Council in Indianapolis, the Secretary
praised those manufacturers already providing free training for riders. However,
she said she was asking for help from manufacturers because while motorcycles
account for only two percent of the vehicles on the road, they are involved in
over 10 percent of all crashes. She added that motorcycle fatalities have more
than doubled in 10 years and now account for over 4,500 highway deaths and
78,000 injuries each year. Even worse, the crash rate among motorcyclists in the
50 plus age group has increased by over 400 percent, she said.
The Secretary noted that the helmet she was wearing during her 2005 motorcycle
crash likely prevented severe head injury. “I know from first-hand experience
how effective helmets can be,” she said.
Secretary Peters also said the Department of Transportation was “attacking” the
challenge of motorcycle safety on several fronts. Last September, the Department
awarded over $6 million in safety grants to states to support motorcycle safety.
In addition, the Federal Highway Administration has established a Motorcycle
Advisory Council to focus on making roads safer for motorcyclists and will
continue work begun by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on a
Motorcycle Crash Causation Study to identify why motorcycle crashes occur and
find ways to reduce the fatality and injury rates.