Anthony Cutrano’s untimely death is a tragedy. The 52-year-old Palos Heights resident was co-founder of the Illinois Motorcycle Freedom Run and one of the creators of a memorial wall dedicated to military personnel killed in the Middle East conflicts. Cutrano, who for the past ten years had dedicated himself to raising awareness of the contributions of U.S. armed forces, died of injuries from a motorcycle crash in Grundy County. He lost control of his Harley-Davidson on an inclined curve.

According to a Chicago Tribune article on May 28, Cutrano was not wearing a helmet when he was thrown off his bike. This highlights findings from the World Health Organization: “Wearing a helmet is the single most effective way of reducing head injuries and fatalities resulting from motorcycle and bicycle crashes. Wearing a helmet has been shown to decrease the risk and severity of injuries among motorcyclists by about 70%, the likelihood of death by almost 40%, and to substantially reduce the costs of health care associated with such crashes.”

Currently, there is no helmet law in Illinois. There have been several attempts to pass House Bill 0285, sponsored by Rep. Mary Flowers. It provides for 26-year-olds and younger to wear helmets. The bill remains in committee.

In May, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) took another approach. Its campaign, “Start Seeing Motorcycles,” emphasizes the responsibility of motorists. IDOT also reminded motorcyclists “to obey traffic rules, be alert to other drivers, never ride while impaired or distracted, and always wear a DOT-approved helmet and other brightly colored protective gear.”

Other safety instructions for motorcycle riders include the Basic and Experienced courses offered through IDOT’s Division of Traffic Safety, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and community agencies. The classes teach risk management and riding skills and should reduce the likelihood and severity of accidents.