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AN American motorcyclist participating in a protest ride against helmet laws has died after he went over his handlebars and hit his head on the pavement.
The motorcyclist, 55-year-old Philip A Contos, likely would have survived the accident if he'd been wearing a helmet, state troopers said yesterday.

The accident happened on Saturday afternoon in Onondaga, a town in central New York near Syracuse.

Contos was driving a 1983 Harley-Davidson on a helmet protest ride organised by the Onondaga chapter of American Bikers Aimed Towards Education, or ABATE, troopers said.

The organisation states that it encourages the voluntary use of helmets but opposes mandatory helmet laws.

Contos, of Parish, hit his brakes, and his motorcycle fishtailed and went out of control, flipping him over the handlebars, police said.

New York is one of 20 states that require all motorcycle riders to wear helmets. Lobbying by motorcyclist groups has led some states to repeal helmet laws.

A helmet that meets federal standards reduces the wearer's chances of being killed in an accident by more than 40 per cent, said safety consultant Jim Hedlund, of the Governors Highway Safety Association.

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