Persons subject to the law must wear helmets that are securely fastened and meet the standards set by the New Mexico Director of Transportation. The patchwork of helmet laws that motorcyclists face makes it difficult to stay on the right side of the law when venturing outside your home state. Wearing a motorcycle helmet, no matter what the law requires, has been proven to reduce injuries and fatalities when things don`t go as planned. The state`s Director of Motor Vehicles sets safety standards that motorcycle helmets used in Idaho must meet or exceed. State law does not have a universal helmet law, so only operators and passengers under the age of 18 are required to wear a helmet. Each state has its own laws regarding motorcycle helmets. They range from universal helmet laws, such as in California, which require a helmet to be worn by anyone riding a motorcycle, regardless of the person`s age, to states like Illinois, which have no helmet use laws by operators or passengers. Use the following summary of motorcycle helmet laws in each state to comply with the law wherever you go. Passengers aged 21 and over are allowed to ride motorcycles without a helmet as long as the rider of the motorcycle is not legally required to wear a helmet. While the data supports the conclusion that helmet use saves lives and reduces head injuries, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that helmet use by drivers and passengers recently saw a 2% decline. One of the reasons you don`t see universal helmet use in the motorcycle community may be due to a lack of consistency across states in their laws governing helmet use by operators and their passengers.
A universal helmet law was repealed in 1977 and replaced by a law requiring helmets for all passengers under the age of 18. Riders holding a learner`s licence and those whose licence was issued less than 12 months ago must wear a helmet. City and town police departments may issue permits that exempt members of organizations sponsoring or organizing parades or other public displays from wearing helmets while participating. Ride Smart in Florida is a multi-stakes safety campaign. The campaign includes activities to raise motorcyclic awareness among motorists, reduce driving disorders, increase helmet and protective equipment use, increase proper registration, and promote driver education and awareness. The campaign uses public announcements, outdoor advertising and promotional materials on helmets and protective equipment. Materials are distributed at motorcycle rallies, community events and conventions. All awareness-raising materials are produced in English and Spanish. The Florida Department of Transportation`s motorcycle safety program and program partners have developed the Ride Smart website to make it easier for anyone interested in promoting motorcycle safety to find the information and resources they need. The Roadway Safety Foundation and the FHWA awarded the “Making Roadways Safer for Motorcycles” program video in 2011. If you are under the age of 21, you must wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle in Florida. In general, motorcyclists 21 and older must also wear a helmet, but the law allows them to drive with a helmet, as long as the person has proof of health insurance that covers at least $10,000 in case of injuries while driving.
That`s a total of 22 states (including the District of Columbia as a “state”) and at least 202 local laws. Only 13 states have no national or local helmet laws. (Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont and Wyoming) These are bicycle helmet laws. As mentioned earlier, we often don`t have good information about laws that cover skaters, scooter riders, Segways, e-bikes, or other modes of transportation, although when known, we have a * indicating this. In 2018, the state of Connecticut was the first to pass an e-bike law that mandates helmets on e-bikes for all ages. Other states are passing similar laws promoted by People for Bikes. Here is the same list according to the date of coming into force of the law. We regularly update our site by searching for local community and county codes available on the Internet.
You can do this for your community in Municode.com when your own code is published. Washington State codes can be found at the Municipal Research Services Center in Washington. In addition to published codes, our sources are community residents who send us an email to inform us of their law. We also have another page with more information about mandatory helmet laws, including copies of some of them. And we have a page for anyone writing a new law that proposes language for standards. We recommend that the Hernando-MS law, passed in 2010, be considered a law that covers all bases and includes updated language for standards. The National Traffic Safety Board conducted an unprecedented study on bicycle injuries and countermeasures, which was announced in 2019. They recommend significant improvements in almost every element that makes up the cycling environment, as well as helmet laws for all ages. A first press release issued in November 2019 indicates that the study will be available soon. If you`re advocating for legislation, the Ohio chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics has produced this unique ohioaap.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/2022-Bike-Helmet-toolkit.pdf.
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