Overall Results Use of DOT-compliant motorcycle helmets in 2009 stood at 67 %, a gain from 63 % in 2008. This result is from the National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS), which is the only survey that provides the nationwide data on helmet use in the United States. NOPUS is conducted by the National Center for Statistics and Analysis of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
In the past five years, motorcycle helmet use has been increasing slowly but steadily. Overall, helmet use increased from 48 % in 2005 to 67 % in 2009. The 2009 survey also found that helmet use in states that require all motorcyclists to wear helmets increased significantly from 78 % in 2008 to 86 % in 2009.
The helmet use in these States continued to be higher than in those States without universal helmet use law. Helmet use in the Northeast increased by 16 % to
61 % in 2009, which is a statistically significant increase. In 2009, helmet use in rural areas continued to increase to 75 % while urban areas saw a 15 percentage-point drop to 57 %.
