Injury control research has repeatedly demonstrated the effectiveness of motorcycle helmets. In 1997, Taiwan passed a nationwide motorcycle helmet use law. A recent study compared head injuries in the two years immediately before and after passage of the law. Motorcycle related head injuries declined by 33% in the year after the law, even though there was an increase overall in the number of motorcycles in use. Altogether 63% of the injuries were caused by crashes with cars, and 16% by crashes with other motorcycles. We note that the authors refer to a national Transportation Department report that states helmet usage was only 21% before the law. According to the report, three months after passage 95.9% of motorcyclists wore helmets! (

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Another recent article examines motor vehicle crash injuries in Colombia, where the risk of traffic related death is 18 times that of the US …