Motorcycle Helmets: The Economic Burden of an Incomplete Helmet Law to Medical Care in the State of Connecticut

Conn Med. 2015 Sep;79(8):453-9.

Abstract

The lack of a mandatory motorcycle helmet law leads to increased injury severity and increased health care costs. This study presents a financial model to estimate how the lack of a mandatory helmet law impacts the cost of health care in the state of Connecticut. The average cost to treat a helmeted rider and a nonhelmeted rider was $3,112 and $5,746 respectively (cost adjusted for year 2014). The total hospital treatment cost in the state of Connecticut from 2003 through 2012 was $73,106,197, with $51,508,804 attributed to nonhelmeted riders and $21,597,393 attributed to helmeted riders. The total Medicaid cost to the state of Connecticut for treating nonhelmeted patients was $18,277,317. This model demonstrates that the lack of a mandatory helmet law increases overall health care costs to the state of Connecticut, and provides a framework by which hospital costs can be reduced to contribute to the economic stability of health care economics in the state.

MeSH terms

  • Accidents, Traffic / economics*
  • Connecticut
  • Costs and Cost Analysis
  • Head Protective Devices / economics*
  • Head Protective Devices / statistics & numerical data*
  • Health Care Costs / statistics & numerical data*
  • Humans
  • Models, Economic
  • Motorcycles / economics*
  • Motorcycles / legislation & jurisprudence*
  • Registries