Biker lawyer who blocked law requiring helmets, dies in crash while not wearing one

© Facebook RonSmith.jpg A Florida lawyer who fought the state’s helmet laws was killed in a motorcycle crash while not wearing one, authorities say.Ron Smith and his girlfriend Brenda Volpe both died when he lost control of the motorbike during a ride and crashed into a utility trailer.They had been on their way to an August memorial for a biker who died of cancer when the accident happened, according to The Tampa Bay Times.The Florida Highway Patrol stated in a report that Smith was travelling on US 19 in Pinellas County when he slowed in traffic, lost control of the bike and skidded.Officials say that the bike spun ‘in a clockwise motion, overturning onto its left side’, and crashed into the left side of the trailer, which was being towed by a truck.Smith, 66, died at the scene while Volpe, 62, was pronounced dead later at a hospital. The newspaper reported that the Medical Examiner has ruled that both victims died from head trauma.The police accident report stated that neither victim was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, and it is unclear if the safety equipment would have saved their lives, experts told the newspaper.Smith was a member of A Brotherhood Against Totalitarian Enactments and American Bikers Aimed Toward Education, and lobbied against the laws for years.In 2000 the state legislature passed a law allowing bikers over the age of 21 to ride without a helmet as long as they $10,000 in insurance to cover accident injuries.One study showed that the death rate in Florida increased by 25 per cent after the law was introduced.A study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concluded that helmets decrease the risk of death for motorcyclists by 37 per cent. From news to politics, travel to sport, culture to climate – The Independent has a host of free newsletters to suit your interests. To find the stories you want to read, and more, in your inbox, click here.