It repealed its universal helmet law in 1976, but the state maintains a helmet requirement for anyone under the age of 21 when riding a motorcycle. The wearing of a helmet must also be worn by any person, regardless of age, who has held a motorcycle driving licence for less than one year. All motorcyclists must wear face protection, goggles or goggles, unless the motorcycle has a windshield located at least 15 inches above the handlebars. The state enacted a universal helmet law in 1989, requiring anyone riding a motorcycle to wear a DOT-approved helmet. If you live in Nebraska or plan to travel by motorcycle in the state, note that a proposal to repeal the Universal Helmet Act was submitted in early 2021. The proposed legislation has not been implemented and is still pending, so check for updates on its status. In 2013, there are legislative proposals to reinstate mandatory helmet law in Iowa. 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. To make sure your helmet meets these standards, it`s best to check with the manager before riding a motorcycle in Idaho. All drivers and drivers under the age of 21 must wear a helmet while driving.
Drivers of three-wheeled motorcycles equipped with a cab and windscreen and engines of 20 hp or less are exempt from the requirement to wear a helmet. Passengers of all ages and drivers under the age of 18 must wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle. Drivers who are allowed to learn, regardless of the age of the person, must wear a helmet. In Arizona, only motorcyclists and passengers under the age of 18 are required to wear a helmet. However, everyone must wear goggles, goggles or clear face shields, unless the bike is equipped with a windshield. Kentucky law requires that all persons under the age of 21 driving or riding a motorcycle or driving an attached sidecar must wear a helmet. Motorcyclists under the age of 26 or those with a teaching licence must wear a helmet. Cyclists over the age of 26 who do not wear a helmet need health insurance. All passengers must wear a helmet. Just as the requirement to wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle varies from state to state, penalties for violations differ in states with helmet laws.
To get an idea of the types of penalties you can expect for violating a state`s helmet law, here`s an overview of the laws of four representative states: In Idaho, drivers and passengers under the age of 18 must wear a helmet that meets helmet standards set by the Director of Motor Vehicles. However, the helmet requirement does not apply if the motorcycles are operated or operated on private property. However, all motorcyclists must wear goggles or a face shield, unless the motorcycle is equipped with a windshield of sufficient quality, size and thickness to protect the motorcyclist from foreign objects. Helmet use is another common measure that can be addressed through self-disclosure, observation, or police records, although the use of DOT-compliant helmets may be more difficult to determine. The proportion of accidents or fatalities involving helmets is also sometimes used to measure effectiveness. All motorcyclists must also wear goggles or face shields, unless the bike is equipped with a windshield or the rider wears glasses with safety glasses. Any attempt to enact a universal helmet law can be met with immediate, well-coordinated, and highly political opposition ([NHTSA, 2003c]). Opponents of the helmet law argue that helmet laws interfere with the rights of individuals. They also claim that helmets interfere with motorcyclists` vision or hearing, although research shows that these effects are minimal (NHTSA, 1996). (UNC Highway Safety Research Center, 2011, pp. 5-8) All drivers must wear eye protection at all times. All motorcycle passengers must wear a helmet.
Anyone under the age of 18 riding a motorcycle must wear a DOT approved helmet, helmets are optional for riders 18 and older. A curious provision of New Hampshire`s helmet law states that the helmet requirement is invalid for cyclists under the age of 18 if changes to federal law no longer require it as a condition for the state. An interesting provision in New Hampshire`s helmet law states that the requirement for young cyclists to wear a helmet will be invalid if the state ceases to receive federal funding. conditioned to it. Although New Hampshire no longer has a helmet law since the National Highway System Designation Act was passed in 1995, cyclists under the age of 18 must wear a helmet. For many states, you are still required by law to wear a helmet, even if the vehicle is of a different type, such as a moped. The following states continue to require helmets on mopeds and other types of motorcycle-like vehicles: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia. In Delaware, anyone under the age of 19 must wear a helmet and eye protection approved by the Secretary of State. People 19 years of age and older must have at least one helmet and eye protection when riding. There is no federal law requiring cyclists or motorcyclists to wear helmets. The result is a mix of helmet laws in all 50 states.
Whether it`s a legal requirement to wear a helmet while driving, it`s always a good idea. Footnote 9 North Dakota`s Motorcycle Helmet Use Act applies to all passengers traveling with operators covered by the Act. ↩ In Hawaii, no one under the age of 18 can drive as a passenger on a motorcycle unless wearing a hard hat, securely fastened with a chin strap. Motorcyclists over the age of 18 are not required to wear a helmet, but must wear goggles or goggles or face shield if the motorcycle is not equipped with a windshield. A universal helmet law enacted in 1970 requires all drivers and passengers riding a motorcycle to wear a helmet. 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. In Michigan, runners must wear a helmet until the age of 21. Cyclists over the age of 21 do not need to wear a helmet if: A.) The person has had a motorcycle visa on their driver`s licence for at least 2 years or the person successfully completes a motorcycle safety course; B.) The person operating the motorcycle or motorcyclist does have security for the medical services of the first person to pay in the event of an accident ($20,000 or more for a motorcyclist without a motorcyclist; $20,000 per person per event or more for a motorcyclist with a motorcyclist). However, if the driver has coverage of $20,000 or more, the operator only needs coverage of $20,000 or more. If the driver or passenger is 21 years of age or older, they may wear any helmet that meets federal motor vehicle safety standards. It must also have ventilating airways more than an inch and a half in diameter.
Tennessee`s motorcycle laws state that these helmets must have a label stating that the helmet meets the requirements of the American Society for Testing Materials, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Southern Impact Research Center, or the Snell Foundation. Bavo and Standerfer, 2010, examined the impact of the repeal of Texas` Universal Helmet Act in 1997 on motorcyclist fatalities and found a decline in helmet use and a significant increase in fatalities, as well as an increase in the fatality rate per 100 billion miles driven. To make sure your helmet meets the Commissioner`s requirements, contact the Department of Motor Vehicles before riding a motorcycle in Vermont.