Fewer helmets, more rests 1801

They are the states that are caving in to pressure, and aren't thinking about the long term costs Everybody in the US will claim to support "freedom" to choose things, until they actually sit down and think about what that "freedom" will cost society as a whole. Some people refuse to think about things like that. It's no surprise that many states with no-helmet laws also tend to be pbutted in the states with the poorest schools

Not a 1:1 correlation but it does appear to be present. Oklahoma, for instance, is one of the poorest states in the Union and the average citizen has an IQ of 90, and it has a no helmet use law. The same is true of Utah. OTOH, North Carolina has a mandatory helmet law, but OTOH it is in the middle of the list. Some other states are higher on the list and only have helmet laws for under a certain age, but no law against adults riding without a helmet. Some states, like Missippi, are outliers, having near borderline-retarded average IQ's, but also have helmet laws.

Helmet laws also protect motorcyclists against theft. In places that have helmet laws, theft of motorcycles declines by 25-35 percent or more. Because unhelmeted riders can be pulled over by police, thieves are less likely to target bikes.