Although the motorbike helmets seem to have been around forever, that really is not the case. Although the first motorcycle was invented in 1885, it was not until 1953 that the first patent was applied for on behalf of the first motorcycle helmet. Was there a good reason for not having something to protect the head during all of those years? The answer to that is a little complicated, as they probably were not all that necessary in the beginning. The first motorcycle, invented by Gottlieb Daimler was built for fun instead of for speed. This is probably why no one thought of helmets back then.

But as time went on and technology progressed, the motorcycles starting gaining vicious speed. Finally, after Indian Motorcycles and Harley-Davidson starting making their motorcycles that were built for extreme speed, the motorbike helmet was invented. The inventor of the motorbike helmet was Professor C.F. Lombard from the University of Southern California. Once he got the ball rolling, helmet manufacturers started popping up all over the place.

You would think that after it was proven time and time again with motorcycle accidents that everyone on motorcycles would wear their helmets with no questions asked. That was not the case though. It turns out that many people found the helmets to be too silly looking or too un-cool to wear. But in 1966, the Highway Safety Act was introduced that required all states in the United States to have mandatory helmet laws. Following the demand was the only way to make sure that they received funds for the highway maintenance and construction that was need.

But this strict code did not last for long. In 1975, Congress withdrew this requirement for some reason and within a period of three years, half of the states that originally got behind the helmet law repealed their laws. Once this happened, injuries and fatalities by motorcycle wrecks increased sharply. While only two percent of vehicles on the road are motorcycles, eight percent of all crash fatalities are riders on motorcycles.

While some people may say that the U.S. Federal government should step in and make the helmet law stick, according to the Constitution they cannot. The helmet laws fall under the jurisdiction of each state individually. Canada does not have that problem though and they have been able to enforce countrywide helmet laws. In 1973, there were a total of 903 motorcycle fatalities in Canada. With the helmet law in place in 1997, there were only 120 deaths from motorcycles. This should prove to everyone that helmets have their place and they are something that you cannot live without, sometimes literally.

But whether you wear your motorbike helmet is completely up to you. You know the laws and know you know some history behind the helmet. The motorbike helmet was designed to save lives. And just as it did when it was first invented, the motorbike helmet is still saving lives to this day.

About the Author

Motorbike helmets save lives, for more information visit http://www.MotorbikeHelmetShop.com where you will find the best choice of D O T approved Motorbike Helmets at unbeatable prices.