MUIRNet-News

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is enhancing its online presentation of state laws by using interactive maps of the United States. The first such laws to be illustrated are motorcycle and bicycle helmet laws and automated enforcement laws, with additional state law maps becoming available. The maps provide geographic representations of the laws to illustrate the extent to which US states are addressing highway safety concerns.

Universal motorcycle helmet laws are effective in reducing rates of deaths and serious injuries, and states that have repealed or weakened their laws have experienced increases in both. Bicycle helmet laws are similarly effective in reducing injuries and fatalities among children and teenagers, but more than half of US states still do not have laws on the books. Automated enforcement technology substantially reduces red light violations and speeding on high-risk roads, and national and local surveys indicate public support.