Man who tried to change law requiring motorcycle helmets has died in bike crash without a helmet

An American man who fought to have motorcycle helmets made optional for Florida bikers has died in a highway crash.

Lawyer Ron Smith, 66, took the issue to court in the 1990s as he wanted motorbike riders to be able to choose to wear helmets or not.

His goal to ride helmet-free was realised in 2000 when Florida passed laws that allowed motorbike riders over the age of 21 to go without the protective headgear as long as they had USD$10,000 ($AUD 15,600, £8,800) in insurance coverage for injuries related to motorcycle accidents.

Smith was a member of A Brotherhood Against Totalitarian Enactments and American Bikers Aimed Toward Education (ABATE), which had pushed back on the law for years.

Joan Hall / Alamy

But, despite his rallying for helmetless freedom, Smith recently ran into trouble on the highway.

He lost control of his motorbike as he attempted to slow down for traffic and spun out of control before colliding with a trailer attached to a truck in another lane.

His passenger, Smith's 62-year-old girlfriend Brenda Jeanan Volpe, was also killed in the lethal crash.

Neither of them were wearing a helmet, however, the New York Post reports it's unclear whether one would have prevented their death.

The initial report from the Hillsborough Medical Examiner’s Office lists their cause of deaths as head trauma.

Dave Newman, a friend of the Florida lawyer, revealed that the late motorcyclist 'thought everybody should have their own choice', as per the Tampa Bay Times.

Cavan Images / Alamy

Florida Highway Patrol spokesperson Steve Gaskins also told the US newspaper that no one has been charged over the pairs' road death.

Eric Teoh, who researched motorcycle safety at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, told the Tampa Bay Times that they could have lived if they had been wearing the protective headgear.

"It’s entirely possible that if they were wearing a helmet they might have survived, but again, we can’t say for sure. It certainly would have improved their odds."

Florida’s road toll increased by 25 per cent after its helmet law was repealed, according to one study.

The number of motorcyclists admitted to hospitals with head injuries jumped by a staggering 82 per cent in the two and a half years after the change in legislation.