HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

206

TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2011

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO GATHER STATISTICS ON INJURIES INVOLVING MOTORCYCLES, MOPEDS, BICYCLES AND ATV’S WITHOUT HELMETS IN THE STATE OF HAWAII.

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that persons who operate motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles and ATV’s while using a helmet are less likely to suffer severe injuries; and

 

     WHEREAS, a study done by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration collecting data on motorcycle injuries from 18 states during the period of 2003-2005 (DOT HS 811 208, October, 2009) revealed that those riders using helmets were less likely to experience facial and head injuries and significantly less likely to experience Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI); and

 

     WHEREAS, 56.8 percent of the riders in the study wore helmets and 43.2 percent did not wear a helmet; and

 

     WHEREAS, 7.3 percent of those not wearing a helmet suffered Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) while 4.7 percent of those who did wear a helmet suffered TBI; and

 

     WHEREAS, 78.7 percent of those not wearing a helmet did not suffer TBI while 85.5 percent of those wearing a helmet did not suffer TBI; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Legislature similarly finds that helmets provide a safety mechanism for those on mopeds, bicycles and ATV’s as well; and

 

     WHEREAS, according to an article:  Traffic Safety Facts Laws: Bicycle Helmet Use Laws, April 2004, put out by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2002, 662 bicyclists were killed in traffic accidents and 48,000 were injured in traffic-related accidents; and

 

     WHEREAS, in the same article, the NHTSA also finds that each year, more than 300,000 children aged 14 and under are treated for emergency room injuries from bicycles; and

 

     WHEREAS, also in the article, the NHTSA finds that as of 2002, 20 states (including the District of Columbia) have enacted bicycle helmet laws for children; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2011, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Health, Emergency Medical Services and Injury Prevention Systems Branch is requested to gather statistics on injuries involving helmet use for motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles and ATV’s and report to the Legislature no later than 20 days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2012; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Department of Health, Emergency Medical Services and Injury Prevention Systems Branch, the Speaker of the House, and the President of the Senate.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Requesting DOH to gather statistics on injuries involving motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles, and ATVs without helmets in Hawaii.