Michigan is coming closer than ever to amending its mandatory motorcycle helmet law with two different versions giving certain bikers a choice of whether they wear one when riding.

Although similar legislation made it to the desk of the Michigan Governor twice before, it was well known that then Governor Jennifer Granholm would veto the law.

That same confidence isn’t shared for the current Governor, Rick Snyder. The current Governor has said he would support the change if other motorists didn't pay more as a result.

Senate Bill 291, which was approved by a vote of five to one would allow individuals 21 years of age or older to ride without a helmet if they have had their motorcycle endorsement for two or more years, or passed a motorcycle safety course.

A similar bill under consideration, House Bill 4008, would allow individuals who are 21 years of age or older to ride without a helmet if they have a $20,000 medical policy in place.

The laws would repeal Michigan's nearly four-decade old mandatory motorcycle helmet law.

‘However,’ states AAA Michigan, ‘Challengers of the state's mandatory helmet law annually try to get it repealed without regard for the common good or the will of the public.’

And of course there is the other side of the argument.

Going beyond the argument of choice and into the very real world of facts, the general public as well as safety advocates feel changing the mandatory motorcycle helmet law could be taking bikers down the wrong road.

An Office of Highway Safety Planning analysis found that a repeal of the law would result in at least 30 additional motorcycle fatalities each year, along with 127 more incapacitating injuries and $129 million in additional economic costs to citizens.

The facts go beyond what could happen, but note what has in states that have already allowed riders the choice of wearing a helmet. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that in the three years after Florida's repeal of its mandatory helmet law there was an 81 percent increase in fatalities.  Another study found that fatalities grew by more than 50 percent in Kentucky and 100 percent in Louisiana after those states struck down mandatory helmet laws.

And as for the public opinion, a spring poll of some 600 likely Michigan voters statewide by Marketing Research Group (MRG), Inc. of Lansing shows that 81 percent of the state's residents believe the current mandatory helmet law should be maintained.  Only sixteen percent said Michigan motorcycle riders should not be required to wear a helmet.

Surveys of AAA Michigan members over many years also confirm ongoing, overwhelming support for the law.  In this year's member survey, 90 percent favored keeping the helmet law.

Critics of the current legislation point out that motorcyclists are already costing the road users more drivers than what could be considered their ‘fair share’.

Motorcycle crashes account for a disproportionate share of money paid out of the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association (MCCA), a fund supported by a surcharge on every auto insurance policy in the state.  While motorcyclists represent two percent of the assessment paid into the MCCA, they account for five percent of money paid.

They represent 7.3 percent of all claims reported to the MCCA.

However some proponents of the bill are focused on its passing for what they consider much more important reasons. Committee chairman Tom Casperson, has told the local press that he would like the repeal approved before the Legislature's summer break begins next month. Casperson didn’t want Michigan riders inconvenienced when they rode to Wisconsin where they don’t have to wear a helmet.