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Hupy Discusses Helmet Issue On Milwaukee Radio Talk Show
National Media Blitz Signals Pro-Helmet Push
Posted March 31, 2008
On Thursday morning, March 27, 2008, conservative talk show host Jay Weber opened the phone lines for a discussion on motorcycle helmets during his WISN Radio, channel 1130 AM morning show. Among the callers was Attorney Michael Hupy, of Hupy and Abraham, S.C.
Hupy explained that Wisconsin has a powerful lobby group, A Brotherhood Against Totalitarian Enactments (ABATE of Wisconsin), which has been successful in not only repealing the helmet law but keeping it off the books. During the post-repeal freedom rallies, Hupy helped get guest speakers to attend and support the efforts of ABATE. These speakers included U.S. Senator Ben “Nighthorse” Campbell, Wisconsin U.S. Senator Russ Feingold and Keith Ball, former editor of Easyriders Magazine.
Hupy also described the very successful lobby effort ABATE organized on March 4th of this year, bringing 500 bikers to the State Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin, to talk to legislators about issues related to motorcycling.
Coincidently, there was a nation wide media blitz by Gannet New Service on the same day as the radio show. Gannet owns a number of newspapers across the country including USA Today. The headlines of these articles included, "As helmet laws loosen, motorcyclist deaths spike"; "Most motorcyclists who die in accidents aren’t wearing helmets"; "Heading for trouble? Some don helmets; most say they believe in freedom of choice while riding a motorcycle"; "Motorcycle deaths on the rise across the U.S."
Most of the articles were filled with claims put forth by the NHTSA and NTSB that repeal of the helmet laws caused an increase in fatalities. Most of the articles refrained from explaining that registrations also increased dramatically in helmet repeal states. Other confusing statements in the articles include, “Southern states among those with the highest motorcycle death rates.” The overwhelming majority of southern states have mandatory helmet laws. The USA Today article points out that 42% of riders killed in Wisconsin were not wearing helmets. That means the other 58% were wearing helmets.
Although it appears there may be a push for a helmet law in Wisconsin, our state has one of the lowest fatality rates in the country for motorcyclists, even without a mandatory helmet law for adults. In fact, a 2007 report from NHTSA shows that in 2006, 12 of 20 mandatory helmet law states had an increase in motorcycle fatalities while 19 of 30 states with no helmet law for adults had a decrease in fatalities.
It is also stated in these articles that the leading cause of fatality in motorcycle crashes is head injury. That is not entirely true. The leading cause of death in motorcycle crashes is multiple blunt traumas. Unless full disclosures of autopsy results are made, it will be impossible and irresponsible to report that head injury alone killed the person.
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