Helmet Laws

• Helmet laws require motorcyclists to wear a helmet that has been approved by the federal Department of Transportation when on public roads. Some state helmet laws are targeted towards younger riders. Universal helmet laws require all motorcyclist, regardless of age, to wear a helmet.
  
  

Universal Helmet Laws

• Currently, 19 states have a universal helmet law in place requiring all riders and their passengers to wear a helmet while operating a motorcycle. These include California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Nebraska, Maryland, Missouri, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, New York, Vermont, Massachusetts and New Jersey.
  
  

Age Exemption Helmet Laws

• Motorcyclists under the age of 18 are required to wear helmets in Idaho, New Hampshire, Colorado, Alaska, Connecticut, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
  
  

Age Exemption Extensions

• Although most state's age exemptions are set at 18 years of age, Delaware's laws are extended to motorcyclists that are 19 years of age, with Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Florida, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Kentucky, Louisiana and Texas limiting helmet laws to 21-year-olds.
  
  

No Helmet Laws

• As of 2009, only Alabama, Iowa and Illinois do not have any type of helmet law in place.