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Mandatory Helmet Use and the Severity of Motorcycle Accidents: No Brainer?

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Listed:
  • Magdalena Blanco
  • Jose Maria Cabrera
  • Felipe Carozzi
  • Alejandro Cid de Orta

Abstract

We study the impact of mandatory motorcycle helmet use laws on the severity and volume of road accidents in Uruguay by exploiting a change in the enforcement of the traffic law. Using a difference-in-differences design based on an unexpected change in policy, we report a sharp increase in helmet use and a five percentage point reduction in the incidence of serious or fatal motorcyclist accidents from a baseline of 11 percent. The benefits of helmet use are disproportionately borne by groups more likely to experience serious injuries, such as males or young drivers. We find no evidence of other responses in terms of either the volume or type of accident, suggesting that motorcyclists’ behavior did not respond to differences in risk. We show that additional costs of enforcement for the relevant government agencies were negligible and estimate the health benefits of the policy.

Suggested Citation

  • Magdalena Blanco & Jose Maria Cabrera & Felipe Carozzi & Alejandro Cid de Orta, 2022. "Mandatory Helmet Use and the Severity of Motorcycle Accidents: No Brainer?," Economía Journal, The Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association - LACEA, vol. 0(Spring 20), pages 187-218, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:col:000425:020343
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    1. Muhammad Ijaz & Lan Liu & Yahya Almarhabi & Arshad Jamal & Sheikh Muhammad Usman & Muhammad Zahid, 2022. "Temporal Instability of Factors Affecting Injury Severity in Helmet-Wearing and Non-Helmet-Wearing Motorcycle Crashes: A Random Parameter Approach with Heterogeneity in Means and Variances," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(17), pages 1-24, August.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Law enforcement; safety and accidents; helmet use;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • R41 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Transportation: Demand, Supply, and Congestion; Travel Time; Safety and Accidents; Transportation Noise
    • H89 - Public Economics - - Miscellaneous Issues - - - Other

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