The Governor will decide whether or not to sign a bill that would allow motorcycle riders to have the choice of wearing a helmet
GAYLORD, MI -- A bill on Governor Rick Snyder's desk tonight could make it legal to ride a motorcycle without a helmet.
There are stipulations, experience is necessary, and riders would need additional coverage.
The bill that sits on Governor Snyder’s desk says if a motorcycle rider at least 21 years old who has two years of experience or passed a safety course and has at least $20,000 in medical benefits won't have to wear a helmet.
"There’s always going to be those times if the law was passed I would take advantage of just not having to wear a helmet," says motorcycle rider James Finch.
Finch believes it's right to have the helmet law repealed. He says there are times where he just doesn't want to wear it. Other riders have different feelings.
"I wear a helmet, and I believe everyone else should too. It’s safety, and it's your head, that's the most important part of your body," says Ross Fursland.
Insurance companies and critical care doctors are against the law. They cite statistics like 65 percent of those killed in motorcycle crashes weren't wearing a helmet and helmets reduce deaths by 42 percent.
The motorcycle helmet law has been controversial for many years. Former Governor Jennifer Granholm vetoed a bill that would allow bikers to ride without a helmet twice while she was in office. But people here I talked to say if this passes, it could be good for tourism.
Like for those motorcyclists in Ohio and Indiana who wants to come up but don't want to wear a helmet.
“They veer away from our state because of it, so there's a lot of tourism that could come in from that," says Finch.
Mike Eme, who works at Extreme Power Sports in Gaylord and is a former paramedic, says he believes helmet use should be an educated choice.
“I think people want the choice, so many times we're told what we can do, what we can't do, and I think people like the choice, and I think people like the right to have a choice," says Eme.
It's still unclear if the Governor will sign it or not.
