Position Statement
The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), Congress of Neurological Surgeons
(CNS), AANS/CNS Section on Neurotrauma and Critical Care and the ThinkFirst National Injury
Prevention Foundation have a core mission to prevent and mitigate traumatic brain and spine injury.
We thereby endorse universal motorcycle helmet laws for all motorcyclists in all states and oppose
efforts of any state to repeal any universal motorcycle law currently in effect. Further, we urge states
that have either repealed their universal helmet laws or have modified their laws to cover only a
subgroup of riders with a partial motorcycle helmet requirement, to reinstate universal motorcycle
helmet laws.
Background
As neurosurgeons caring for individuals involved in motorcycle crashes, we are acutely aware of the
dangers these devastating accidents pose. As a specialty, we support the evidence that helmet use
can prevent some of the severe morbidity and costs caused by motorcycle crashes. It is clear that
helmets save lives. In the most recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
fatality data for 2015, total motorcycle fatalities increased by 8.3 percent (382 people). In states
without universal helmet laws, 58 percent of motorcyclists killed in 2015 were not wearing helmets, as
compared to 8 percent in states with universal helmet laws. The World Health Organization (WHO)
describes a growing global trend toward enacting universal helmet laws. Table 1 provides a historical
timeline on the status of helmet laws in the United States.
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