Once it became known yesterday afternoon that the injuries suffered by Pittsburgh Steeler quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in a Monday morning motorcycle accident were not life-threatening, the public's attention and thoughts turned to Pennsylvania's 2003 law that made wearing a helmet optional for motorcycle riders over 21 years of age.

The first concerns, once it became known that it was Roethlisberger who was launched from his Suzuki motorcycle into the windshield of a car, were over the 24-year-old's health as well as how the accident might impact his ability to lead the football team, although the two issues are inextricably linked.

Many fans have suggested that as the team's leader and as someone being paid millions of dollars, Roethlisberger has the responsibility to avoid such risky behavior as riding a motorcycle — and increasing those risks by riding without a helmet. Indeed, some NFL contracts prohibit players from riding motorcycles.

And on that topic, former Steeler quarterback Terry Bradshaw offered some sage advice months ago, when the topic of Roethlisberger's riding came up, saying the young quarterback should wait until he retires from professional football to take up motorcycle riding. It would not be surprising to find that this accident leads to a revision in the fine print of employment contracts for certain elite professional athletes — one that bars motorcycle riding, possibly known as the "Roethlisberger clause."

Accepting the fact that other, anonymous motorcyclists have been killed or injured without sparking a renewed debate over motorcycles and helmets in Pennsylvania, it is appropriate for the Roethlisberger accident to trigger such a re-examination of the state legislature's 2003 repeal of the state's mandatory helmet law.

Ironically, the state legislature is scheduled to review a report at the end of this month that will present data and examine the impact of the 2003 law making helmets optional for most motorcylists. But, on the surface at least, the evidence appears clear: Motorcycle-related deaths in the state have increased 31 percent from 2003 to 2005. And more telling than the overall figure is the fact that fatalities among helmet-wearing riders fell during that time period, but helmetless fatalities increased 222 percent, jumping to 87 last year from 27 in 2003.

Supporters of riding without helmets argue that the number of motorcycle riders on the roads has increased significantly in the past few years and that explains the increase in fatalities. But the increase in motorcycles on the road does not account for the entire increase, nor does it negate reasons to rethink the wisdom of the 2003 repeal.

For his part, Gov. Ed Rendell, who signed the repeal into law, has been mostly quiet — or sounding lame in trying to justify his support for the repeal, which some critics believe was purely political.

The Legislative Budget and Finance Committee, which will review the motorcyle fatality and injury report later this month, will sometime later receive a second report that examines the medical costs associated with repealing the helmet requirement.

Given the fact that four top surgeons at Mercy Hospital worked for seven hours to repair the damage to Roethlisberger's face and skull, it seems likely all of the medical expenses in this case will exceed premium payments made for the quarterback's health insurance. Those costs and others from similar accidents have to be recovered somehow, and higher premiums for all drivers is one way for the insurance industry to cover those losses.

Roethlisberger's case is just a single incident, but the second report to be presented to the Budget and Finance Committee should help paint a broader picture of how serious injuries associated with helmetless motorcycle riders impact insurance rates in the state, and whether all other drivers in the state are charged more for their insurance to cover the costs associated with trauma treatment and rehabilitative services provided to victims of motorcycle accidents, particularly those not wearing helmets.

The entire region held its collective breath as the first reports of Roethlisberger's accident became known Monday morning. Now, the conversations at water coolers, over the dinner table and on talk radio are about helmets and the risks associated with motorcycles. The discussion spawned by this high-profile accident victim should continue, and if the evidence warrants, should lead the legislature to repeal its 2003 repeal, and once again require all motorcycle riders to wear helmets.