(The Center Square) – A Tennessee law that requires motorcyclists to wear helmets is costing the state tourism dollars, a lawmaker told the Senate Public Safety and Transportation Committee on Wednesday.
Senate Bill 2648 by Springfield Republican Kerry Roberts would only require motorcyclists under the age of 21 to wear a helmet. Roberts said he was not arguing whether helmets are a bad idea or if motorcycles are safe.
Helmets are not required in 30 states, he said. Tennessee law allows motorcyclists to go without a helmet only when riding in a parade at less than 15 miles per hour.
“The point is that we’ve got surrounding states that allow adults 21 and older to make that choice and those people cannot cross the state line,” Roberts said. “We miss out on tourism dollars. We miss out on economic benefit.”
The bill is not new and has passed the House and Senate before, just not at the same time, Roberts said.
On Wednesday, it failed to pass the committee in a close vote, with five members voting “no” and four voting “yes” after a debate on the pros and cons of the bill.
Humphreys County Executive Mike Pogreba told the committee that the state would have more opportunities for toy rides, benefit rides, vacations and festivals. Arkansas had a 47% increase in motorcycle registrations after it repealed its mandatory motorcycle helmet law, he said.
“If Tennessee enjoyed a similar increase in motorcycle riding like Arkansas, imagine the economic growth we could have in Tennessee,” Pogreba said.
Sen. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanoogan, wore a motorcycle helmet he had on in a wreck during his testimony against the bill.
“But I hadn’t had this helmet, my head would have bounced off the concrete on the interstate,” Gardenhire said.
He walked away from the wreck with some injuries to his leg.
“I’m telling you, these things save people’s lives,” he said.
Roberts said statistics around helmets are confusing. Mississippi has twice the fatality rate for motorcyclists as Tennessee and has the same law. Illinois does not have a helmet law and has half the fatalities, he said.
Committee Chairman Becky Massey, R-Knoxville, said when she ran an intellectual disability agency, she worked with brain-injured patients.
“No amount of insurance would cover somebody that lives through a motorcycle wreck without a helmet because of being brain injured,” Massey said. “We’re all going to be paying for it.”
Tennessee has a law that works, Massey said.
“Repealing it means more funerals and more catastrophic brain injuries and that outcome is opposite of what this committee is charged to do,” said Massey, who was one of the five votes against the bill.
