Helmet use is the single most important factor governing survival in motorcycle crashes.

• Unhelmeted motorists are 29 percent less likely to survive a crash, and 40 percent more likely to die from a head injury, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

• Motorcycle helmets are 67-percent effective in preventing brain injuries. Unhelmeted motorcyclists are more than three times more likely to suffer brain injuries in crashes than those using helmets.

• Helmets saved 674 motorcyclists in 2001; 444 might have been saved if they had worn helmets.

• Motorcycle operator deaths increased by 21 percent in Arkansas and 31 percent in Texas following the repeal of their laws in 1997.

• From 1984 through 2000, NHTSA estimates that helmets saved the lives of 10,156 motorcyclists. If all motorcycle operators and passengers had worn helmets during that period, it is estimated that 8,463 additional lives would have been saved.

• Helmets reduce the risk of head, brain, and facial injury among motorcyclists of all ages and crash severities.

• Motorcycle deaths among older drivers are increasing dramatically. The number of riders ages 50 and older killed in motorcycle crashes increased by 24 percent between 2001 and 2002.

A 1997 NHTSA study found that wearing a motorcycle helmet does not restrict a rider's ability to hear traffic signals or visual acuity needed to safely change lanes.

Currently 19 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico require helmet use of all motorcycle operators and passengers, according to NHTSA. Three states have no helmet laws at all, and the other 27 permit adults to ride with no helmet, although some require additional insurance.

• The most recent challenge to a state law is in Pennsylvania, which is among at least 12 states in the past year to consider letting adults decide whether to wear a helmet. This trend picked up momentum in 1995 when Congress repealed a federal law linking highway funds to such laws.

• In another 27 states, only persons under a specific age, usually 18, are required to wear helmets.

The following reductions in motorcycle fatalities were reported in the years after the helmet laws were re-enacted:

• Oregon reported a 33-percent reduction.

• Nebraska reported a 32-percent reduction.

• Washington State reported a 15-percent reduction.

• California reported a 37-percent reduction.

• Maryland reported a 20-percent reduction.

• Arkansas reported a 21-percent increase in motorcycle fatalities the year after its helmet law was repealed (NHTSA). Texas reported a 31-percent increase in fatalit ies.

• In addition to saving lives, NHTSA estimates that $13.2 billion was saved between 1984 and 1999 because of motorcycle helmet use, and another $11.1 billion could be saved if all used helmets.

In addition to encouraging all states to enact legislation to require all motorcycle riders to wear helmets, other positive measures to impact motorcycle safety are the establishment of effective comprehensive programs including rider education, motorcycle operator licensing, and responsible use of alcohol.