The simplest safety features often provide the most safety. Seatbelts save lives to an even greater extent than any other safety feature. Even if your car does not have airbags or an automatic braking system, your chances of surviving a collision are much greater with a seatbelt than without one, if only because the seatbelt prevents you from being ejected from the vehicle.
Motorcycles do not have seatbelts, and the risk of being ejected after a collision is high, considering that there is so little vehicle structure separating you from the road. There is a safety feature that has a major effect on the survival rate in motorcycle accidents, however, and like the seatbelt, it has been around for a long time. It is the motorcycle helmet. Wearing a helmet greatly decreases your risk of death or catastrophic brain injury after a motorcycle accident, even though it still leaves the rest of your body vulnerable to severe injury. If you suffered serious injuries in a motorcycle accident even though you were wearing a helmet, contact a Santa Fe motorcycle accident lawyer.
New Mexico Motorcycle Helmet Laws
Contrary to all common sense, New Mexico law only requires helmets for motorcycle riders under the age of 18. This means that most motorcyclists have the option of riding without a helmet. It also means that New Mexico’s motorcycle helmet rules are even less strict than those of famously accident-prone South Carolina, which requires helmets for all motorcycle riders under the age of 21. The law does, however, indicate specifications for helmets sold in New Mexico; for example, they must have reflectors.
Besides the obvious reason for wearing a motorcycle helmet in order to stay alive in the event of an accident, there is also a financial incentive to wear one. The insurance companies will attribute more fault to you after an accident if you do not wear a helmet and less fault if you wear one. This affects the amount of money you can get from an insurance claim.
How to Choose the Safest Motorcycle Helmet
Any motorcycle helmet is better than none, and if you are wearing a helmet at all, you are doing more than the legal minimum. The best helmet is a properly fitting one, though, because an uncomfortable helmet is a distraction. The top of the eye port should be just above your eyebrows. The helmet should be so tight that you cannot fit your fingers inside it while you are wearing it. Helmets made of slightly flexible material provide the best protection. Even if you buy the perfect helmet, you will need to replace it in five years. You should also replace it after a collision or even if you drop the helmet when you are not wearing it.
Contact Slate Stern About Motorcycle Accident Lawsuits
Slate Stern is a personal injury lawyer who represents plaintiffs injured in motorcycle accidents. Contact Slate Stern in Santa Fe, New Mexico, or call (505)814-1517 to discuss your case.
Sources
https://www.motosport.com/blog/sportbike-and-motorcycle-helmet-buying-guide
Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash