Committee stops effort to repeal Louisiana’s mandatory motorcycle helmet law

The Louisiana Senate Transportation Committee has put a stop to an effort to repeal the state’s mandatory motorcycle helmet law that’s been in place since 2004.

Bridget Gardner, the coordinator of the Community Injury Prevention Program at the University Medical Center New Orleans told the panel motorcycle deaths will go up if you pass this law.

“The people that are unhelmeted die at twice the rate of helmeted,” Gardner said.

Vernon Parish Representative Rodney Schamerhorn is the author of the legislation. He agrees deaths will likely go up if his bill passes, but he believes in personal choice.

“You see some bull riders with a helmet on. You see some that prefer a cowboy hat. It is the same instance. It is their personal right to be able to do that, because they understand the risk they are taking,” Schamerorn said.

Caddo Parish Coroner Todd Thoma says not only will highway deaths go up, so will serious injuries as a result of helmetless motorcycle riders.

“These trauma victims have multiple blunt force trauma that they come in on. They’re lucky to be alive. And I can promise you most of those people that come in with traumatic brain injury, if they had a second chance to do it, they’d put a helmet on, because they end up disabled for life,” Thoma said.

The panel made no motion to advance the legislation to the Senate floor, which likely means the bill is dead for the session.