Motorbike Helmets - Florida Motorcycle Helmet Regulations

Since July 2000, motorbike riders have not needed to adhere to a universal helmet law, demanding all riders, regardless of age, to wear a helmet when riding their motorcycles. Currently, Florida helmet laws and regulations state that riders older than 21 who have at least $10,000 in medical coverage can lawfully ride their bikes without putting on a helmet, a move that was regarded as a victory by several bikers unhappy with universal helmet laws that had been in effect until that period.

Whether or not the move signifies a clear victory or not is reliant on interpretation. While bikers can enjoy the road unencumbered by motorcycle helmets which are often heavy and hot, a study by the Florida Department of Transportation indicates that motorbike injuries and also fatalities have increased following repeal of the universal laws, forcing some state officials to revisit the law.

The debate over universal helmet regulations has not been confined to Florida. Throughout the nation, universal helmet conditions have met with active opposition, and recently, many state governments have eliminated universal helmet laws completely, while other impose specific age or insurance rules which control who must wear a helmet, and who may choose to not wear a helmet.

Before 1966, there were no motorcycle helmet regulations in any country. However the Highway Safety Act of that same year put an end to that, demanding the establishment of uniform safety programs for motorcyclists countrywide. Under this act, all states were required to formulate and implement laws which mandated the use of helmets by all motorbike riders. Countries which refused to enact such laws faced losing s portion of federal highway construction funds.

In 1975, with penalties impending against three states, Congress revisited the Highway Safety Act, and eradicated the helmet law mandate, and also disallowing a suspension of federal funds from nations without universal helmet laws. The result: by 1978, 25 countries had repealed their laws, or amended them to include only specific groups, generally people under the age of 18.

The 1980s was, overall, a period of stasis for helmet laws. However in the late 1980s and 1990s, several state governments started reenacting helmet laws in an effort to reduce injuries and fatalities, and reduce insurance and medical expenses. In 1989, Oregon and Texas once again enforced universal helmet regulations, and Washington and Maryland followed suit in 1990 and 1992. Even California, that had never before enforced a helmet law, enacted a universal helmet law in 1992 after much publicity. Florida also enacted a helmet law, however in 1996 as noted, the law was amended that include only bikers under 21 and those without enough insurance coverage.

The repeal immediately saw a marked change in helmet use in the state. As observational helmet use studies conducted by the state DOT in 1998 revealed 99.5 percent of motorbike riders wore helmets. A similar survey conducted in 2002, two years following the repeal of the universal helmet law, pointed out that rate had lowered to 52.7 percent.

A second study conducted by the Florida DOT also revealed that although the overall number of crashes decreased during the 18-month period after the law was repealed when compared with the 19-month period prior to repeal, deadly crashes among the state's motorbike riders elevated by approximately 43 percent after Florida helmet laws were amended, from 284 fatalities in the 18-month period before repeal, to 404 deaths in the 18-month period following repeal. Non-fatal accidental injuries elevated by around 16 percent in the same period. Even the numbers of under-age bikers increased following repeal of the law, from 7 percent to 11 percent.

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