PITTSBURGH -- In the five years since Pennsylvania repealed its motorcycle helmet law, the number of riders has gone up and so has the number of head injuries resulting in death.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's motorcycle crash in June 2006 was the most publicized motorcycle accident in recent memory.

Doctors said Roethlisberger is lucky to be alive after slamming his head off a car and the pavement.

A new study by the University of Pittsburgh shows many other riders involved in crashes without a helmet have not been so lucky.

Video: Watch Jake Ploeger's Report

"We found that after the repeal, motorcycle helmet use went down, and the death rate from head injuries from motorcycle crashes went up about 32 percent," said lead study author Dr. Kristen Mertz.

Mertz compiled data from the year before the helmet law was repealed in 2003 and the year after. Her findings not only indicate the death rate rose 32 percent, but the number of riders hospitalized for head injuries also increased by 42 percent.

That also translates into an increase in health care costs. Mertz estimates the average hospital bill, not including doctors' charges and after-care, is $88,000 to treat a head injury.

"So all these excess hospitalizations from head injuries are costing millions of dollars," she said.

Mertz said she would like to see the helmet law reinstated, saying the facts speak for themselves.

"Helmets reduce risk of death by about 37 percent, so they're not perfect," she said. "They don't prevent the non-head injuries, and they don't prevent all head injuries, but one out of every three people who die could be saved if they have a helmet on."

State Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Allegheny, has introduced legislation that would reinstate a mandatory helmet law for all Pennsylvania motorcyclists. He called the study's findings "stunningly dramatic" and said the cost to taxpayers alone is reason to make a change.

"Here you have a low-tech answer to saving money in the health care system and all we have to do is vote to reinstate the helmet law for Pennsylvania," Frankel said.

And with the price of gas continuing to rise, the number of motorcycle riders is also expected to rise, which could cause even more motorcycle fatalities.

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