With impressive performance, especially in the last quarter of 2015, Nashville has been described as the new “hottest banking market” in the country by bank analysts and finance experts. However, Tennessee road safety has become a major public health issue, with more than 187 recent incidents in Nashville alone, according to the Accident Data Center.
The ADC said that 40% of all road accidents are avoidable, meaning there are hundreds of drivers on the roads that could potentially be guilty of negligence. The statistics could be higher if not for the more careful and alert drivers who are able to react quickly and avoid accidents.
A clear example of why one should be alarmed is a pending bill in Nashville to repeal the helmet law. The state currently has a helmet law that mandates all motorcycle and bicycle riders to wear helmets. The bill proposes that the use of helmet for anyone over 21 is optional, provided they have adequate health insurance. The bill was voted down but those who feel strongly about the use of helmet have not given up. They claim that citizens have the right to be treated as adults who are able to make their own decisions about their safety.
A tragic incident in 2001 in South Dakota, a state in which the helmet law is optional, ended with the death of one woman, who was thrown to the ground after the rear tire of the motorcycle she was riding blew out. Her husband survived but was in a coma for 30 days. When he awoke, he learned that he would be permanently disabled and had a whopping $1.7 million in medical bills. Sadly, there was no one to blame but the couple, as they did not collide with any other party.
The helmet law protects an individual from severe brain injury and possible loss of limbs, and repealing it would increase the number of victims on the road. Riders without helmets are three times more in danger than those in cars or trucks. Even with compensation from personal injury lawsuits, the trauma, and physical and mental suffering may be permanent and depressing.
History shows that helmet law decreases the number of personal injuries and fatalities by as much as 66%. When the state of Florida relaxed its helmet law, hospital admissions from motorcycle road accidents increased by 82%.
You may think that the helmet law is restricting you form enjoying your ride, which may be the case, but the consequences of an accident without a helmet is scary. Lawyers can help you get just compensation but they can never replace what has been lost forever.
If you are a victim of a road accident and need help paying for your medical bills, talk to a Nashville motorcycle attorney. From a legal standpoint, if you are going to ride a motorcycle, wear a helmet regardless of whether or not there is a helmet law.
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