HARRISBURG -- More motorcyclists died or were hurt in crashes during the two years after the mandatory helmet law was repealed in 2003, but part of the reason was that there were considerably more motorcyclists on the road, according to a state report issued yesterday.

The Legislative Budget and Finance Committee, a General Assembly study group, issued a report on motorcycle accidents and injuries during 2004 and 2005, the first two full years after the mandatory helmet law was repealed in September 2003. The 2004-05 data were compared to that for 2001 and 2002, two full years before the repeal.

The law was repealed in 2003 after years of motorcyclists coming to the Capitol and demanding the freedom to decide for themselves whether to wear helmets. A section of the repeal law says a report on the effects of the repeal has to be turned in by July 2006.

In 2004-05, the report says, 362 motorcyclists died in accidents, an increase of 38 percent over the total of 261 cyclists who died in crashes in 2001-02.

But the report cautions that motorcycle registrations rose by 48 percent, to 318,000 riders, by 2005, so there were considerably more cyclists on the road than before.

"The average annual fatality rate after repeal of the helmet law was 5.9 fatalities per 10,000 registered motorcycles in 2004-05, which was not substantially higher than the average annual fatality rate of 5.4 fatalities per 10,000 motorcycles in 2001-02," the report says.

Also, 1,152 motorcycle riders suffered major injuries in crashes in 2004-05, compared with 839 in 2001-02. That's an increase of 37 percent.

The report adds, however, that these numbers need to be viewed in relation to the sharp rise in motorcycle registrations in 2004-05.

They translate into "an average annual rate of 18.6 major injuries per 10,000 registered motorcycles" for 2001-02, "compared to 18.9 major injuries per 10,000 registered motorcycles in 2004-05."

The data was gathered from Pennsylvania Department of Transportation statistics and a statewide trauma registry center.

In summary, the report says, these data are not conclusive in determining if the helmet law repeal has directly led to more deaths and injuries, and further study is needed.