Since July 2000, motorcycle riders have not needed to adhere to a universal helmet law, requiring all riders, irrespective of age, to put on a helmet when riding their motorbikes. Today, Florida helmet regulations stipulate that riders older than 21 who have at least $10,000 in health coverage could lawfully ride their motorbikes without wearing a helmet, a move that was considered a victory by several bikers unhappy with universal helmet laws which were in effect until that period.

Regardless of whether the move indicates a clear victory or not is reliant on interpretation. While riders can enjoy the road unencumbered by motorcycle helmets which are often heavy and hot, a report by the Florida Department of Transportation shows that motorbike accidental injuries and even fatalities have risen following repeal of the universal laws, forcing some state officials to reconsider the law.

The discussion over universal helmet regulations is not restricted to Florida. Throughout the nation, universal helmet requirements have met with active opposition, and recently, many states have taken off universal helmet regulations completely, while other enforce certain age or insurance rules that control who must wear a helmet, and who can prefer to not put on a helmet.

Before 1966, there were no motorcycle helmet laws in any country. But the Highway Safety Act of that same year put an end to that, demanding the establishment of uniform safety programs for motorcyclists nationwide. Under this act, all nations were instructed to formulate and implement regulations that mandated the use of helmets by all bike riders. States which refused to enact such legislation faced losing s portion of federal government highway construction funds.

In 1975, with fees and penalties impending against three states, Congress reconsidered the Highway Safety Act, and eliminated the helmet law mandate, and also disallowing a suspension of federal funds from states without universal helmet laws. The result: by 1978, 25 countries had repealed their laws, or amended them to include only certain groups, mostly people under the age of 18.

The 1980s was, overall, a period of stasis for helmet legal guidelines. But in the late 1980s and 1990s, several states started reenacting helmet laws in an effort to decrease injuries and deaths, and decrease insurance and medical expenses. In 1989, Oregon and Texas yet again implemented universal helmet regulations, and Washington and Maryland followed suit in 1990 and 1992. Even California, which had never before enforced a helmet law, enacted a universal helmet law in 1992 after much publicity. Florida also passed a helmet regulation, however in 1996 as mentioned, the law was revised that include only riders under 21 and those without enough insurance coverage.

The repeal immediately saw a marked change in helmet use in the state. As observational helmet use survey conducted by the state DOT in 1998 discovered 99.5 percent of motorbike bikers wore helmets. A similar study conducted in 2002, two years following the repeal of the universal helmet law, indicated that rate had lowered to 52.7 percent.

A second study conducted by the Florida DOT also revealed that though the overall number of crashes reduced during the 18-month period after the law was repealed when compared with the 19-month period before repeal, fatal crashes among the state's motorbike riders increased by approximately 43 percent after Florida helmet laws were amended, from 284 deaths in the 18-month period prior to repeal, to 404 deaths in the 18-month period after repeal. Non-fatal injuries elevated by about 16 percent in the same period. Even the numbers of under-age bikers increased following repeal of the law, from 7 percent to 11 percent.

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