Report: Missouri Motorcycle Fatalities Soaring After 1 Big Change

I always wanted a motorcycle when I was growing up in Missouri, but my dad wouldn't let me. He didn't think motorcycles were safe enough. There's new data that shows in at least one way he was right. Fatalities among bike riders in Missouri are apparently soaring after one recent big change.

I saw this report shared by Newsweek about how Missouri removed the universal helmet law in 2020 and what statistics say has happened since. Deaths among Missouri motorcycle riders is spiking to previously unprecedented levels.  They are saying that the Missouri Department of Transportation is showing an increase in fatalities for bike riders of a staggering 47%.

These numbers were apparently a part of a MODOT report that was shared with the House Transportation Accountability Committee just a few days ago. The statistics show that 153 motorcyclists were killed in Missouri in 2022 and preliminary numbers show yet another fatality jump to 174 in 2023. Correlation is being made between the removal of the universal helmet law and the increased deaths among those who prefer to ride on two wheels instead of four.

The National Safety Council claims that more than 25,000 lives have been saved by motorcycle helmets over a 15 year period from 2002 through 2017. Will the removal of the universal helmet law in Missouri be responsible for an increased fatality rate among bike riders? Time will tell.