Biking with helmet laws

[Papa Dom]

do you ever wear bicycle helmet and is it because of the law? noticed this google article with countries and a map displaying whether it's illegal to ride your bike without a helmet ... is the law actually so strict in Australia? i wear helmet when commuting and wouldn't allow my kids to bike without one.

   

[G_M]

My kids always wear helmet no matter what the law states ...

[rydabent]

Everyone that bikes is best advised to wear a helmet in case of an accident. If a car hits you, and you sue, the drivers lawyer will make you partly to blame if you were not wearing a helmet.

[GirishH]

Whether or not a lawyer blames me, I’ll take every precaution I can. As a cyclist, I’m already taking a lot of risks, so why not reduce them a bit—even if it messes up my hairstyle?

While driving in a car with some friends here in India, they asked whether they should wear seatbelts since it’s not legally required. But I believe in using all the safety features available, so I wore my seatbelt. No harm done!

(12-24-2024, 02:22 PM)rydabent Wrote:  Everyone that bikes is best advised to wear a helmet in case of an accident. If a car hits you, and you sue, the drivers lawyer will make you partly to blame if you were not wearing a helmet.

[Flowrider]

Riding with just swimming shorts, no shirt or helmet, and a surfboard under one arm on a bike is common on Queensland's Gold Coast.

[rydabent]

Wearing a helmet is really no big deal. Once I put it on when starting a ride, I totally forget it.

[rydabent]

The gene pool is strengthened by people that wear helmets.

[Criminal]

Here was the question: do you ever wear a bicycle helmet and is it because of the law?

And of course the response from a known irrational thinker providing more "intelligent" commentary:

(07-14-2025, 10:10 AM)rydabent Wrote:  The gene pool is strengthened by people that wear helmets.

Folks that insane virus is spreading to other threads. Watch out.

As for answering the actual ?; I ride with and without helmets. No law requiring me to do it; but if there was I would be happy to be imprisoned for choosing not to wear one since then rydabottle would not have to worry about me polluting the world's gene pool (like rydabolt already has done if he/she/they procreated while suffering from the genetically inherited condition). My State does have a seatbelt law and law mandated insurance for car owners/drivers/riders; but you can ride a motorcycle without a helmet and no insurance is required. Thus, I live in an insane environment (pretty much the entire globe anywhere humans exist) where laws are arbitrary, politically motivated, and enacted by the corrupt.

Yes, from helmets to genetics; who would have thought it! Only the insane!

[SPINMAN]

National bicycle helmet laws by state.

https://www.iihs.org/research-areas/pedestrians-and-bicyclists/bicycle-helmet-use-laws-table

I've seen TBIs (traumatic brain injury) as a paramedic - wear a helmet, at least if you ride amongst cars and trucks and maniacs. Please!
😌

[rydabent]

Bike helmet laws are simply greedy B'crats looking for more revenue to spend on their pet projects. For them, it has little to do with safety.

[GirishH]

As I ride through the monsoon in the landslide-prone Himalayas, I’m genuinely glad to be wearing my surfing/snowboarding hardshell helmet. For me, wearing a helmet is the least I can do to take care of myself.

   

Sometimes, I wonder if I should be wearing arm and leg guards. That's how scary the landscape and roads here are..    

(09-01-2025, 10:47 AM)rydabent Wrote:  Bike helmet laws are simply greedy B'crats looking for more revenue to spend on their pet projects. For them, it has little to do with safety.

[rydabent]

(07-20-2025, 09:56 AM)Criminal Wrote:  Here was the question: do you ever wear a bicycle helmet and is it because of the law?

And of course the response from a known irrational thinker providing more "intelligent" commentary:

(07-14-2025, 10:10 AM)rydabent Wrote:  The gene pool is strengthened by people that wear helmets.

Folks that insane virus is spreading to other threads. Watch out.

As for answering the actual ?; I ride with and without helmets. No law requiring me to do it; but if there was I would be happy to be imprisoned for choosing not to wear one since then rydabottle would not have to worry about me polluting the world's gene pool (like rydabolt already has done if he/she/they procreated while suffering from the genetically inherited condition). My State does have a seatbelt law and law mandated insurance for car owners/drivers/riders; but you can ride a motorcycle without a helmet and no insurance is required. Thus, I live in an insane environment (pretty much the entire globe anywhere humans exist) where laws are arbitrary, politically motivated, and enacted by the corrupt.

Yes, from helmets to genetics; who would have thought it! Only the insane!

It is a known fact that cyclist that dont wear helmets, make great organ donars.

[SPINMAN]

(08-21-2019, 06:24 PM)Papa Dom Wrote:  do you ever wear bicycle helmet and is it because of the law? noticed this google article with countries and a map displaying whether it's illegal to ride your bike without a helmet ... is the law actually so strict in Australia? i wear helmet when commuting and wouldn't allow my kids to bike without one.

September 2025
State Required to wear helmet
Alabama 15 and younger
Alaska no law
Arizona no law
Arkansas no law
California 17 and younger
Colorado no law
Connecticut 17 and younger
Delaware 17 and younger
District of Columbia 15 and younger
Florida 15 and younger
Georgia 15 and younger
Hawaii 15 and younger
Idaho no law
Illinois no law
Indiana no law
Iowa no law
Kansas no law
Kentucky no law
Louisiana 11 and younger
Maine 15 and younger
Maryland 15 and younger
Massachusetts 16 and younger
Michigan no law
Minnesota no law
Mississippi no law
Missouri no law
Montana no law
Nebraska no law
Nevada no law
New Hampshire 15 and younger
New Jersey 16 and younger
New Mexico 17 and younger
New York 13 and younger
North Carolina 15 and younger
North Dakota no law
Ohio no law
Oklahoma no law
Oregon 15 and younger
Pennsylvania 11 and younger
Rhode Island 15 and younger
South Carolina no law
South Dakota no law
Tennessee 15 and younger
Texas no law
Utah no law
Vermont no law
Virginia no law
Washington no law
West Virginia 14 and younger
Wisconsin no law
Wyoming no law

---

Some key points and a summary

---

### 🚨 Rising Fatalities
- **Pedestrian deaths** have surged 78% since 2009, now making up **18% of crash fatalities**.
- **Bicyclists** account for **3% of crash deaths**, with over **1,100 killed** in 2023.

### 🛣️ Engineering Solutions
- Safety improvements include:
- **Median islands**
- **Bike lanes**
- **Flashing beacons** and **illuminated crosswalks**
- **Pedestrian head-start signals**
- **Lower vehicle speeds** significantly reduce injury severity.

### 🚗 Vehicle Technology
- **Forward collision systems** now detect pedestrians.
- **Rear cameras** help prevent backover crashes.
- **Vehicle front-end design** changes can reduce pedestrian injury severity.
- Europe and other regions are pushing for **pedestrian-friendly vehicle standards**.

### 🪖 Helmet Use & Laws
- **Head injuries** are the most serious in bicyclist fatalities.
- Helmets reduce head injury risk by **50%**.
- Only **14% of fatally injured cyclists** in 2023 were wearing helmets.
- **Helmet laws** for youth exist in **21 states + D.C.**, but none cover all ages.
- Helmet use is **4x higher** after laws are enacted.
- **Bike-share users** wear helmets less often than private bike riders.

### 📊 Research Insights
- **Reflective clothing** helps human drivers but may confuse automated systems.
- **Pedestrian beacons** with caution phases work best in high-traffic areas.
- **Helmet quality varies**—Virginia Tech rates helmets based on impact protection.

### 🐢 Speed Matters
- Even small increases in speed drastically raise injury risk:
- 20 mph = 18% risk of serious injury
- 55 mph = 97% risk
- **Traffic calming** (speed humps, stop signs) and **lower speed limits** are effective in urban areas.

Most important stats***

Helmet Use & Laws
- **Head injuries** are the most serious in bicyclist fatalities.
- Helmets reduce head injury risk by **50%**.
- Only **14% of fatally injured cyclists** in 2023 were wearing helmets. ***86% of fatalities were not wearing a helmet***

[Flowrider]

Open Question: Does riding with a helmet make you feel you can go faster and take more risks because you feel more protected if you do come off?

I read an article years ago now that said car crashes had increased after safety belts became law to wear. The writer attributed it to people driving faster as they felt 'safer' because they had to wear safety belts.

Purely a thought process from drivers, not a reality concept.

[rydabent]

(09-07-2025, 02:43 PM)SPINMAN Wrote:  

(08-21-2019, 06:24 PM)Papa Dom Wrote:  do you ever wear bicycle helmet and is it because of the law? noticed this google article with countries and a map displaying whether it's illegal to ride your bike without a helmet ... is the law actually so strict in Australia? i wear helmet when commuting and wouldn't allow my kids to bike without one.

September 2025
State Required to wear helmet
Alabama 15 and younger
Alaska no law
Arizona no law
Arkansas no law
California 17 and younger
Colorado no law
Connecticut 17 and younger
Delaware 17 and younger
District of Columbia 15 and younger
Florida 15 and younger
Georgia 15 and younger
Hawaii 15 and younger
Idaho no law
Illinois no law
Indiana no law
Iowa no law
Kansas no law
Kentucky no law
Louisiana 11 and younger
Maine 15 and younger
Maryland 15 and younger
Massachusetts 16 and younger
Michigan no law
Minnesota no law
Mississippi no law
Missouri no law
Montana no law
Nebraska no law
Nevada no law
New Hampshire 15 and younger
New Jersey 16 and younger
New Mexico 17 and younger
New York 13 and younger
North Carolina 15 and younger
North Dakota no law
Ohio no law
Oklahoma no law
Oregon 15 and younger
Pennsylvania 11 and younger
Rhode Island 15 and younger
South Carolina no law
South Dakota no law
Tennessee 15 and younger
Texas no law
Utah no law
Vermont no law
Virginia no law
Washington no law
West Virginia 14 and younger
Wisconsin no law
Wyoming no law

---

Some key points and a summary

---

### 🚨 Rising Fatalities
- **Pedestrian deaths** have surged 78% since 2009, now making up **18% of crash fatalities**.
- **Bicyclists** account for **3% of crash deaths**, with over **1,100 killed** in 2023.

### 🛣️ Engineering Solutions
- Safety improvements include:
- **Median islands**
- **Bike lanes**
- **Flashing beacons** and **illuminated crosswalks**
- **Pedestrian head-start signals**
- **Lower vehicle speeds** significantly reduce injury severity.

### 🚗 Vehicle Technology
- **Forward collision systems** now detect pedestrians.
- **Rear cameras** help prevent backover crashes.
- **Vehicle front-end design** changes can reduce pedestrian injury severity.
- Europe and other regions are pushing for **pedestrian-friendly vehicle standards**.

### 🪖 Helmet Use & Laws
- **Head injuries** are the most serious in bicyclist fatalities.
- Helmets reduce head injury risk by **50%**.
- Only **14% of fatally injured cyclists** in 2023 were wearing helmets.
- **Helmet laws** for youth exist in **21 states + D.C.**, but none cover all ages.
- Helmet use is **4x higher** after laws are enacted.
- **Bike-share users** wear helmets less often than private bike riders.

### 📊 Research Insights
- **Reflective clothing** helps human drivers but may confuse automated systems.
- **Pedestrian beacons** with caution phases work best in high-traffic areas.
- **Helmet quality varies**—Virginia Tech rates helmets based on impact protection.

### 🐢 Speed Matters
- Even small increases in speed drastically raise injury risk:
- 20 mph = 18% risk of serious injury
- 55 mph = 97% risk
- **Traffic calming** (speed humps, stop signs) and **lower speed limits** are effective in urban areas.

Most important stats***

Helmet Use & Laws
- **Head injuries** are the most serious in bicyclist fatalities.
- Helmets reduce head injury risk by **50%**.
- Only **14% of fatally injured cyclists** in 2023 were wearing helmets. ***86% of fatalities were not wearing a helmet***

---

I an from Nebr, where there are no helmet laws. I usually ride a trike, where I am only about a foot off the ground, and with not very far to fall. Yet I always wear a helmet. You never know what strange things can take place.

[rydabent]

Ride safe and wear a helmet. Cyclist in general are in great shape, and do make great organ donors if they dont ride safely.