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

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  • Carozzi, Felipe
  • Cabrera, Jose Maria
  • Cid, Alejandro
  • Blanco, Magdalena

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 event-study, differences-in-difference and synthetic control methods, we report a sharp increase in helmet use and a 40 percent reduction in the incidence of serious or fatal motorcyclist accidents as a result of the change in enforcement. The change translates into an increase in minor injuries, indicating a shift in the distribution of accident severity. We find no evidence of other behavioral responses in terms of either the volume or type of accidents. We show that additional costs of enforcement for the relevant government agencies were negligible and estimate the health benefits of the policy.

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  • Carozzi, Felipe & Cabrera, Jose Maria & Cid, Alejandro & Blanco, Magdalena, 2020. "Mandatory Helmet Use and the Severity of Motorcycle Accidents: No Brainer?," CEPR Discussion Papers 15501, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:15501
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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

    Helmet use; Law enforcement; Traffic accidents;
    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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