By Rick Schmitt, Fair Warning.org 

Anti-helmet law demonstrators at a May 21 rally at the state capitol in Albany, N.Y. Photo: Skip Dickstein/Albany Times Union

WASHINGTON – In a highly touted safety achievement, deaths on the nation’s roads and highways have fallen sharply in recent years, to the lowest total in more than a half-century. But motorcyclists have missed out on that dramatic improvement, and the news for them has been increasingly grim.

So it might be no surprise that biker groups are upset with Washington. The twist is what they are asking lawmakers and regulators to do: Back away from promoting or enforcing requirements for safe helmets, the most effective way known to save bikers’ lives.