Rapid medical response is a key element of secondary injury prevention. The use of medical emergency motorcycles (MEM) has been demonstrated in Taiwan and Portugal, and now in Oslo, Norway, in a climate not always conducive to motorcycle operation. MEMs were found to be slightly faster at getting to the scene in urban environments. More importantly, there were no accidents involving the motorcycles themselves, and in one third of the calls, the responders verified that there was no need for transport, thus saving the greater expense of sending a fully equipped ambulance unnecessarily. Although the MEMs were cost-effective and saved money, the overall effects of these savings were mitigated by the short season during which this form of transport is practical in Scandinavia. MEMs might be even more practical in more temperate settings.

Nakstad AR, Bjelland B, Sandberg M. Medical emergency motorcycle—is it useful in a Scandinavian Emergency Medical Service? Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med 2009;17:9–13.

In the USA, motorcycle fatalities have increased significantly in recent years, accounting for 11% of all traffic deaths in 2006, the largest proportion ever. This troubling trend is due in part to the lack of universal helmet laws, many of which have been repealed within …