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

Felipe Carozzi, José María Cabrera, Alejandro Cid () and Magdalena Blanco

No 15501, CEPR Discussion Papers from C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers

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.

Keywords: Helmet use; Law enforcement; Traffic accidents (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H89 I12 I18 R41 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea, nep-lam and nep-tre
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Mandatory Helmet Use and the Severity of Motorcycle Accidents: No Brainer? (2022)
Working Paper: Mandatory helmet use and the severity of motorcycle accidents: no brainer? (2022)
Working Paper: Mandatory Helmet Use and the Severity of Motorcycle Accidents: No Brainer?† (2019)
Working Paper: Effects of Motorcycle Helmet Laws on Fatalities’ Prevention: An Impact Evaluation (2017)
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