LANSING -- Legislation to end the requirement that Michigan motorcyclists wear helmets won easy approval Wednesday in the state House, igniting hope among anti-helmet enthusiasts that they may finally be close to their goal.
Under the bill, approved 69-39, motorcyclists 21 and older would have the option of riding helmet-free if they have two years of experience or have taken a safety course, and if they buy at least $20,000 in medical insurance.
The legislation now returns to the state Senate, where an earlier version was adopted in June, and then potentially to Gov. Rick Snyder.
Vince Consiglio, from the motorcyclist group ABATE of Michigan, which has led a decades-long effort to lift the requirement, said he was optimistic the Senate would concur and was hopeful Snyder would sign the legislation.
Former Gov. Jennifer Granholm twice vetoed measures to end the helmet requirement, but Snyder has hedged on the question and said again Wednesday that he would wait until a bill reached his desk before making any judgment.
State Rep. Paul Opsommer, R-DeWitt, a leading advocate for repeal, said it would "open our roads to many out-of-state riders who currently avoid the state" because of Michigan's helmet law.
Opsommer said motorcyclists should have the freedom to choose whether to wear a helmet, and he disputed claims that a repeal would result in more catastrophic injuries and higher medical costs from motorcycle accidents. That has not occurred in other states where helmet requirements were repealed, he said.
But state Rep. Dian Slavens, D-Canton, said evidence of a higher incidence of serious injury and death without helmets is irrefutable and that $20,000 in insurance coverage is woefully inadequate, pushing the cost of medical care onto health providers, insurance companies, consumers and government programs.
"The price of personal freedom ... is borne by the entire community," Slavens said.
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