Pa. Helmet Law Repeal Means More Injuries
Posted on: Friday, 13 June 2008, 18:00 CDT
Serious head injuries have increased in Pennsylvania since the state repealed its motorcycle helmet law, a University of Pittsburgh study found.
By analyzing discharge data from acute-care hospitals before and after the repeal, researchers found a 32 percent increase in head injury deaths and a 42 percent increase in head injury hospitalizations, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Friday. The non-head injury death rate did not change.
Pennsylvania largely repealed its law requiring motorcycle riders to wear helmets in 2005. Currently, riders are required to wear helmets if they are under age 21, have less than two years of experience and have not taken a safety course.
Researchers said they found the number of motorcyclists hospitalized with head injuries requiring further care at facilities specializing in rehabilitation and long-term care jumped 87 percent after the helmet law was changed. Total acute care hospital charges stemming from motorcycle-related head injuries rose 132 percent, they said.
Acute care hospital charges totaled $53.5 million in 2001 and 2002, compared to $124.2 million for 2004 and 2005.
Source: United Press International
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User Comments (2)
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Posted by mIKE on 06/16/2008, 11:43 THIS IS NO PULITZER PRIZE WINNING RESEARCH AS IT SAYS IN ITS LIMITATIONS THAT IT IS TAKEN FROM ICD 9 CODES THAT ARE NOTORIOUSLY FALLIBLE. i THINK IT IS MORE ABOUT GETTING NATIONALLY PUBLISHED THAN THE ACTUAL RESEARCH. A STUDY DONE IN 2001 STATED THAT HELMET LAW STATES HAD MORE DEATHS WHICH IS DR. IS IT MORE ITHAT GETS YOU PUBLISHED OR LESS NEXT TIME TO GET PUBLISHED? |
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Posted by Bruce Arnold on 06/15/2008, 10:05 AP Floods Media with Flawed Statistics from Pittsburgh Professors: I went beyond the press release and abstract, and actually analyzed the underlying research: http://tinyurl.com/3glcez What I found was that the conclusions of Mertz and Weiss are specious because the statistics on which they are based are flawed. Here is the truth: http://tinyurl.com/5pt3ou Bruce Arnold |
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