Since July 2000, motorbike riders have not had to adhere to a universal helmet law, requiring all riders, irrespective of age, to put on a helmet when operating their motorbikes. Now, Florida helmet laws and regulations state that riders over the age of 21 who have at least $10,000 in medical care coverage could legally ride their motorbikes without putting on a helmet, a move which was regarded as a victory by many bikers unhappy with universal helmet laws which were in effect until that time.

Regardless of whether the move implies a clear victory or not is a matter of interpretation. While bikers can enjoy the road unencumbered by motorcycle helmets that are often heavy and hot, a report by the Florida Department of Transportation shows that motorcycle accidental injuries and also deaths have gone up following repeal of the universal laws, prompting some state officials to reconsider the law.

The discussion over universal helmet laws is not confined to Florida. Across the nation, universal helmet conditions have met with active opposition, and in recent years, many states have eradicated universal helmet regulations entirely, while other enforce specific age or insurance guidelines which govern who must wear a helmet, and who can prefer not to put on a helmet.

Before 1966, there were no motorcycle helmet regulations in any state. However the Highway Safety Act of that same year put an end to that, requiring the establishment of uniform safety programs for motorcyclists nationwide. Under this act, all countries were instructed to develop and implement regulations which mandated the use of helmets by all motorbike riders. Nations that refused to enact such legislation faced losing s portion of government highway construction funds.

In 1975, with fees and penalties pending against three states, Congress reconsidered the Highway Safety Act, and eradicated the helmet law mandate, as well as disallowing a suspension of federal funds from nations without universal helmet laws. The result: by 1978, 25 states had repealed their laws, or amended them to include only particular groups, mostly individuals under the age of 18.

The 1980s was, overall, a period of stasis for helmet legal guidelines. However in the late 1980s and 1990s, many nations began reenacting helmet laws in an effort to decrease injuries and deaths, and decrease insurance and medical costs. In 1989, Oregon and Texas yet again enforced universal helmet laws, and Washington and Maryland followed suit in 1990 and 1992. Even California, that had never before enacted a helmet law, enacted a universal helmet law in 1992 after much publicity. Florida also passed a helmet regulation, but in 1996 as mentioned, the law was amended to include only bikers under 21 and those without adequate insurance coverage.

The repeal immediately saw a marked change in helmet use in the state. As observational helmet use research conducted by the state DOT in 1998 discovered 99.5 percent of motorcycle bikers wore helmets. A similar survey conducted in 2002, two years after the repeal of the universal helmet law, pointed out that rate had dropped to 52.7 percent.

A second study conducted by the Florida DOT also revealed that though the overall number of crashes reduced during the 18-month period after the law was repealed as compared to the 19-month period before repeal, deadly crashes among the state's motorcycle riders elevated by roughly 43 percent after Florida helmet laws were amended, from 284 deaths in the 18-month period prior to repeal, to 404 fatalities in the 18-month period after repeal. Non-fatal accidental injuries increased by around 16 percent in the same period. Even the numbers of under-age riders increased following repeal of the law, from 7 percent to 11 percent.

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