I don't think the government should mandate helmets or seatbelts. Recommend yes, Require no.
I wonder which would save more lives and injury, requiring motorcycle riders to wear helmets or requiring car passengers to wear helmets. By shear numbers alone I bet many more lives would be saved in the car crashes even with seatbelts on. How far do we want our government to go in protecting us? I do not like the logic of "if it saves one person's life, it is worth it". Freedom from excessive intrusion from our government is worth something.
My insurance agent tells me that motorcycle insurance is reasonably priced because 9 out of 10 times an accident is the car driver's fault and they collect from them. However since they also insure the cars they probably wish that motorcycles would just go away.
I don't want to get into a lot of statistics debate because one can usually twist the numbers around to show what you want but a few comments on the OP's Florida numbers:
Quote:
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A Florida Today analysis of federal motorcycle crash statistics found "unhelmeted" deaths in Florida rose from 22 in 1998 and 1999, the years before the helmet law repeal, to 250 in 2004, the most recent year of available data
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I wonder how many of those would have died even with a helmet on?
Quote:
Total motorcycle deaths in the state have increased 67 percent, from 259 in 2000 to 432 in 2004, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics.
Records, though, also show motorcycle registrations have increased 87 percent in Florida since Bush signed the helmet law repeal July 1, 2000.
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From my experience riding over 30 years, there are many who will stop riding altogether or ride a lot less if required to wear a helmet. Perhaps the number of increased riders and miles ridden are contributing to the increase in deaths? I believe that one of the main reasons that helmet laws save lives is because it reduces the amount of motorcycle riding. Our government and the insurance companies would probably support an outright ban of motorcycles if it was politically possible and with the attitudes expressed in this thread we may not be far from it.