New Mexico: Motorcycle Helmet Law in the Works

Motorcyclists in New Mexico may be required to wear helmets, if a bill there passes into law. Sen. Jerry Ortiz y Pino, D-Albuquerque, is sponsoring the legislation. He and other supporters of the bill say it's about rider safety and public funds that spent on head and spinal injuries. According to him, most forms of insurance run out well short of paying for years of pain, suffering, and rehabilitation. Another helmet bill sponsored by Ortiz y Pino lets riders over age 18 by a special license plate that allows them to ride without wearing a lid. Provided you're willing to pay the plate's $700 fee. If that bill passes, the plate money would allegedly go to a traumatic brain injury fund.