The latest news about motorcycle accidents is encouraging: overall, motorcycle fatalities have been declining for the past few years. However, there is also bad news: motorcycle helmet use has declined during the same period, leading to a possible increase in preventable deaths.
Motorcycle helmets are estimated to prevent about 37 percent of fatalities in accidents, so about one in three motorcycle fatalities might have been prevented if the driver had worn a helmet. On the other hand, in two-thirds of all fatal motorcycle accidents, a helmet would not have prevented the death.