Ron Smith and friend Brenda Volpe were reportedly on their way to the funeral of another friend when Smith had to brake suddenly and crashed August 20th near Holiday, FL; both suffered fatal injuries. The Tampa Bay Times reports, “It?s impossible to say whether a helmet would have prevented Smith?s and Volpe?s deaths, experts said. Smith?s autopsy report lists blunt head trauma as his cause of death and an initial report from the Hillsborough Medical Examiner?s Office also lists Volpe?s cause of death as head trauma.”
Ron Smith and Brenda Volpe (photo courtesy Gary Pruss)
Florida is one of a bunch of states that dialed back its helmet requirements in the last couple of decades, and Smith was a key proponent of that. Here’s a brief history from the National Library of Medicine: Florida
Florida’s universal helmet law was first implemented in September 1967. For over 30 years, motorcycle rider groups led by American Bikers Aiming Toward Education (ABATE) lobbied the Florida legislature to amend the law. One argument unique to Florida and states with similar climates was that wearing a helmet in the intense heat was especially burdensome. An amendment of Florida’s universal helmet law nearly passed several times, including one occasion in 1985 when it was vetoed by Governor Bob Graham, a Democrat. The state legislature switched from Democratic to split control in 1992 and to Republican control in 1996. These political developments combined with...