The governing authorities of the United States have always emphasized the need to wear helmets. Even though this is a standing instruction, many people flout it openly as they feel that riding without the helmet is much more stylish than riding with it. Not only does the helmet protect the biker from harsh weather conditions, it can also protect your skull from near-fatal accidents. It’s extremely important to understand why authorities are so strict about helmets, and therefore we need to look at the past and present legislations regarding helmets to understand this better.
Past Laws about Motorbike Helmets
The first law regarding helmets was passed in 1957 with regard to getting funds for construction purposes. Within ten years of the legislation, as many as forty states had already adopted it. By 1975, the law had been adopted by all the states except three. Even though the Helmet Laws have constantly been amended since then, the states still go by the original law and have made riding with helmets a mandatory law.
Factors Responsible for the Implementation of the Laws
The first reason why helmets are important is because they protect you incase of a road accident, the chances of which increase considerably if you’re on a bike. Motorbikes are more vulnerable to crashes than four wheelers, and because they are all open, the biker is more susceptible to head injury.
If you’re a biker and often go on long distance trips, you’d do good to familiarize yourself with the helmet laws prevalent in the various states. With the exception of four states, all others have helmet laws in one form or the other. For example, in states like Arkansas, Florida, Texas, Rhodes Island, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and South Carolina it is mandatory for every adult biker to wear a helmet. There are some states which advocate the use of full helmets, while there are others where you can get away by wearing a half helmet.
There are some states where helmets are absolutely necessary, and therefore people who never wear their protective headgear are in for trouble here. However, it’s always advised that you wear your helmet whenever you are riding a bike because flouting the rules means having to pay a hefty fine. Fines for not wearing helmets vary around $150. To prevent trouble, it’s best to carry the names of the states with you when you go out.
The legislations on helmets have changed the safety scenario in many of the states. Whether it’s due to fear of being caught flouting laws, or as a precautionary measure, the use of helmets have considerably gone up ever since the laws have been implemented throughout the country. The laws have therefore gone a long way in making people more concerned about this basic safety measure. The police also find it easier to nab bike thieves because most don’t wear helmets and are therefore easy to identify.
Most importantly, the helmet laws have saved lives by making helmets mandatory. The number of deaths in road accidents have gone down since these laws came into being.
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