Our bill has a house number. It is HB 2010. It is a very simple bill. It simply allows those 21 and older to choose whether or not to wear a helmet. You can read the bill at the following link: http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?131+ful+HB2010.
Now is a good time to get the emails rolling in the House. Normally I do not include a suggested email but this year it will be very important for us to stay on our talking points. We have refused to get sucked into an overall safety debate because that argument will lose with many non-riders regardless of the facts. I have attached an email that hits the points that we have hammered all summer and fall. I would highly encourage you to use it or a variation that makes these points. I have also pasted the email at the end of this message. What we don’t want is arguments that it is safer to ride without a helmet or that helmets can kill you. I am sure that many can make credible arguments but the minute you do your reader will simply hit delete.
Below is the contact information for every member of the House of Delegates. I would encourage you to email each of them. Remember to include your address in your email since an email from a constituent means more. Likewise I get the cold shoulder from the legislative assistants if you don’t because they have to look up each person to see if they are in their district. Please make my life easier. Here is the list of the House members. The sample email is attached and also copied below my signature line. Thanks for all that each of you do for Virginia motorcyclists.
Delegate Albo DelDAlbo@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Anderson DelRAnderson@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Bacote DelMBaCote@house.virginia.gov
Delegate D. Bell DelDBell@house.virginia.gov
Delegate R. Bell DelRBell@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Brink DelRBrink@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Bulova DelDBulova@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Byron DelKByron@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Carr DelBCarr@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Cline DelBCline@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Cole DelMCole@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Comstock DelBComstock@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Cosgrove DelJCosgrove@house.virginia.gov
Delegate J. Cox DelJCox@house.virginia.gov
Delegate K. Cox DelKCox@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Crockett-Stark DelACrockett-Stark@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Dance DelRDance@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Dudenhefer DelMDudenhefer@House.virginia.gov
Delegate Edmunds DelJEdmunds@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Farris DelMFariss@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Farrell DelPFarrell@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Filler-Corn DelEFiller-Corn@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Garrett DelSGarrett@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Gilbert DelTGilbert@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Greason DelTGreason@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Habeeb DelGHabeeb@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Head DelCHead@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Helsel DelGHelsel@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Herring DelCHerring@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Hester DelDHester@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Hodges DelKHodges@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Hope DelPHope@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Howell DelAHowell@house.virginia.gov
Speaker Howell Delwhowell@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Hugo DelTHugo@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Iaquinto DelSIaquinto@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Ingram DelRIngram@house.virginia.gov
Delegate James DelMJames@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Joannou No Email (804)-698-1079
Delegate Johnson DelJJohnson@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Jones DelCJones@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Keam DelMKeam@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Kilgore DelTKilgore@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Knight DelBKnight@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Kory DelKKory@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Krupicka DelRKrupicka@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Landes DelSLandes@house.virginia.gov
Delegate LeMunyon DelJLeMunyon@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Lewis DelLLewis@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Lingamfelter DelSLingamfelter@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Lopez DelALopez@House.virginia.gov
Delegate Loupassi DelMLoupassi@house.virginia.gov
Delegate D. Marshall DelDMarshall@house.virginia.gov
Delegate B. Marshall DelBMarshall@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Massie DelJMassie@house.virginia.gov
Delegate May DelJMay@house.virginia.gov
Delegate McClellan DelJMcClellan@house.virginia.gov
Delegate McQuinn DelDMcQuinn@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Merricks DelDMerricks@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Miller DelJMiller@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Minchew DelRMinchew@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Morefield DelJMorefield@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Morris DelRMorris@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Morrissey DelJMorrissey@house.virginia.gov
Delegate O’Bannon DelJOBannon@house.virginia.gov
Delegate O’Quinn delioquinn@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Orrock DelBOrrock@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Peace DelCPeace@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Plum DelKPlum@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Pogge DelBPogge@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Poindexter DelCPoindexter@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Purkey DelBPurkey@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Putney DelLPutney@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Ramadan DelDRamadan@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Ransone DelMRansone@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Robinson DelRRobinson@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Rush DelNRush@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Rust DelTRust@house.virginia.gov
Delegate E. Scott DelEScott@house.virginia.gov
Delegate J. Scott DelJScott@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Sherwood DelBSherwood@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Sickles DelMSickles@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Spruill DelLSpruill@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Stolle DelCStolle@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Surovell DelSSurovell@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Tata DelBTata@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Torian DelLTorian@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Toscano DelDToscano@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Tyler DelRTyler@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Villanueva DelRVillanueva@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Ward DelJWard@house.virginia.gov
Delegate O. Ware DelOWare@house.virginia.gov
Delegate L. Ware DelLWare@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Watson DelMWatson@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Watts DelVWatts@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Webert DelMWebert@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Wilt DelTWilt@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Wright DelTWright@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Yancey DelDYancey@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Yost DelJYost@House.virginia.gov
— SUGGESTED SAMPLE EMAIL —
I am writing to ask you to support HB 2010. This bill was introduced by Delegate Ben Cline and amends Virginia’s helmet law to allow adults age 21 and older to choose whether or not to wear a helmet. Currently, 31 states allow adults to make that choice. While you will no doubt hear many in opposition to this bill cite conclusions with no factual basis, I would ask you to consider the following facts concerning this bill.
1) States that allow adults to choose whether to wear a motorcycle helmet do not see higher motor vehicle insurance rates. Conversely, states that have mandatory motorcycle helmet laws do not experience lower motor vehicle insurance rates. Insure.com studied motor vehicle insurance rates. Of the top five most expensive states for motor vehicle insurance in 2012, four had mandatory motorcycle helmet laws. Of the five least expensive states for motor vehicle insurance, only one had a mandatory motorcycle helmet law. To take it even further, only two of the ten cheapest states for motor vehicle insurance have mandatory helmet laws. The other eight states allow adults to choose for themselves or, as in the case of Iowa, simply have no law at all. (http://www.insure.com/car-insurance/car-insurance-rates.html)
2) States that allow adults to choose whether to wear a motorcycle helmet do not experience increased health care related costs. There is simply no proof of this. In fact, in 2010, the Kaiser Family Foundation conducted a study of daily inpatient hospital expenses by state. Of the twelve most expensive states for daily inpatient hospital expenses, seven had mandatory helmet laws. Of the twelve least expensive for daily inpatient hospital expenses, only four had mandatory helmet laws. The other eight states allow adults to choose for themselves. (http://statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?ind=273&cat=5)
3) States that have repealed their mandatory helmet laws have seen increased revenues in motorcycle sales, registrations and tourism. Being that Virginia is surrounded by several large jurisdictions with mandatory helmet laws (North Carolina, West Virginia, Tennessee and Maryland) The Commonwealth would likely see increased tourism from riders in those states much in the same way that many riders in Virginia currently go to Kentucky, Pennsylvania and South Carolina due to the fact that they allow adults to make their own choice with regard to the issue of helmets.
4) States that allow adults to make their own choice do not see higher motorcycle fatality rates. According to data from both the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration, between 2008 & 2010, 20 states and the District of Columbia (roughly 40% of U.S. jurisdictions) accounted for 40% of total motorcycle registrations and 42 % of total motorcycle fatalities nationwide even though they had mandatory motorcycle helmet laws. The other 30 states (60% of U.S. jurisdictions) which allowed adult riders to choose whether to wear a helmet accounted for 60% of total motorcycle registrations and 58% of motorcycle fatalities. (http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/departments/nrd-30/ncsa/STSI/USA%20WEB%20REPORT.HTM & http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s1098.pdf)
5) Of the 14,283 motorcycle fatalities which occurred nationwide between 2008 and 2010, 8,226, or 57.6%, were wearing helmets when they were killed even though 60% of jurisdictions allowed adults to make their own choice. (http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/departments/nrd-30/ncsa/STSI/USA%20WEB%20REPORT.HTM)
I therefore respectfully ask that you support HB 2010. This issue is a matter of choice and personal freedom. If one has a governmental philosophy that individuals should make their own decisions absent a compelling governmental interest, then one would strongly support HB 2010.