Over the 4^th of July weekend, a New York man died while on a ride to protest the mandatory helmet law in his state.

Philip Contos 55, died when his bike fishtailed and he went over the handlebars, hitting his head on the road. Medical personnel at the hospital had no doubt Contos would have survived if he had worn a helmet.

Contos was participating in the 11^th annual helmet protest ride sponsored by the Onondaga chapter of ABATE, American Bikers Aimed Toward Education. The group lobbies for freedom and awareness among bikers and the public. The Syracuse chapter president, Christinea Rathbun, told a news agency how saddened and shocked the group was at Contos’ death.

ABATE believes that each adult rider should have a choice whether to wear a helmet, but New York is one of 20 states with a mandatory helmet law applying to all ages. South Carolina’s law requires riders under age 21 to wear a helmet.

A representative of the Governors Highway Safety Association, Jim Hedlund, stated that a helmet reduces the risk of fatality in a motorcycle accident by 40%. However, ABATE of New York’s website notes that helmet laws do nothing to prevent accidents, and the decision to wear one should be up to each adult rider.

As South Carolina motorcycle accident lawyers, we represent riders who were victims of motorcycle and auto accidents, and we see both sides: victims who did and did not wear helmets.

What do you think? Should wearing a motorcycle helmet be mandated by law, and why or why not?