PDF | Print |

FAQs - General

Written by Timothy Babb Monday, 19 September 2011 15:10

Below is a map with the Kentucky District Meeting Locations.

PDF | Print |

FAQs - General

Written by Timothy Babb Friday, 19 August 2011 14:47

August 2011

• Laws requiring all motorcyclists to wear a helmet are in place in 20 states and the District of Columbia

• Laws requiring only some motorcyclists to wear a helmet are in place in 27 states

• There is no motorcycle helmet use law in 3 states (Illinois, Iowa, and New Hampshire)

• Some bicyclists are required by law to wear a helmet in 21 states and the District of Columbia

• There is no bicycle helmet use law in 29 states

The history of motorcycle helmet laws in the United States is characterized by change. In 1967, to increase motorcycle helmet use, the federal government required the states to enact helmet use laws in order to qualify for certain federal safety programs and highway construction funds. The federal incentive worked. By the early 1970s, almost all the states had universal motorcycle helmet laws. Michigan was the first state to repeal its law in 1968, beginning a pattern of repeal, reenactment, and amendment of motorcycle helmet laws. In 1976, states successfully lobbied Congress to stop the Department of Transportation from assessing financial penalties on states without helmet laws.

No state has a universal bicycle helmet law. Only 21 states and the District of Columbia have statewide bicycle helmet laws, and they apply only to young riders (often riders younger than 16). Local ordinances in a few other states require bicycle helmets for some or all riders.

Low-power cycle is a generic term used by the Institute to cover motor-driven cycles, mopeds, scooters, and various other 2-wheeled cycles excluded from the motorcycle definition. While state laws vary, a cycle with an engine displacement of 50 cubic centimeters or less, brake horsepower of 2 or less, and top speeds of 30 mph or less typically is considered a low-power cycle. Twenty-two states have motorcycle helmet laws that cover all low-power cycles. Twenty-five states and the District of Columbia have laws that cover some low-power cycles.

State	Motorcycle helmet use law rating	Motorcycle helmet use governs:	Does the motorcycle helmet law cover all low-power cycles?	Bicycle helmet use governs:
Alabama	Good	all riders	yes   Alabama all low-power cycles covered by the motorcycle helmet law	15 and younger
Alaska	Poor	17 and younger1	yes   Alaska all low-power cycles covered by the motorcycle helmet law	no law
Arizona	Poor	17 and younger	some   Arizona all low-power cycles with an engine displacement greater than 50cc, brake horsepower greater than 1 1/2, or can attain speeds greater than 25 mph are covered by the motorcycle helmet law	no law
Arkansas	Poor	20 and younger	yes   Arkansas all low-power cycles covered by the motorcycle helmet law	no law
California	Good	all riders	yes   California all low-power cycles covered by the motorcycle helmet law	17 and younger
Colorado	Poor	17 and younger and passengers 17 and younger	yes   Colorado all low-power cycles covered by the motorcycle helmet law	no law
Connecticut	Poor	17 and younger	yes Connecticut all low-power cycles covered by the motorcycle helmet law	15 and younger
Delaware	Poor	18 and younger2	some Delaware all low-power cycles except motorized scooters are covered by the motorcycle helmet law; bicycle helmet acceptable for motorized scooter	17 and younger
District of Columbia	Good	all riders	some District of Columbia all low-power cycles with an engine displacement greater than 50cc, brake horsepower greater than 1 1/2, or can attain speeds greater than 35 mph are covered by the motorcycle helmet law	15 and younger
Florida	Poor	20 and younger3	some Florida all low-power cycles with an engine displacement greater than 50cc, brake horsepower greater than 2, or can attain speeds greater than 30 mph and all low-power cycles operated by those 15 and younger are covered by the motorcycle helmet law	15 and younger
Georgia	Good	all riders	some Georgia all low-power cycles are covered by the motorcycle helmet law except bicycle helmets are acceptable for electric assisted bicycles	15 and younger
Hawaii	Poor	17 and younger	some Hawaii all low-power cycles with an engine displacement greater than 50cc, brake horsepower greater than 2, or can attain speeds greater than 30 mph are covered by the motorcycle helmet law	15 and younger
Idaho	Poor	17 and younger	some Idaho all low-power cycles with an engine displacement greater than 50cc, brake horsepower greater than 5, or can attain speeds greater than 30 mph are covered by the motorcycle helmet law	no law
Illinois	Poor	no law	no law Illinois no law	no law
Indiana	Poor	17 and younger	yes Indiana all low-power cycles covered by the motorcycle helmet law	no law
Iowa	Poor	no law	no law Iowa no law	no law
Kansas	Poor	17 and younger	some Kansas all low-power cycles except electric assisted bicycles are covered by the motorcycle helmet law	no law
Kentucky	Poor	20 and younger4	some Kentucky all low-power cycles with an engine displacement greater than 50cc, brake horsepower greater than 2, or can attain speeds greater than 30 mph are covered by the motorcycle helmet law	no law
Louisiana	Good	all riders	yes Louisiana all low-power cycles covered by the motorcycle helmet law	11 and younger
Maine	Poor	17 and younger5	some Maine all low-power cycles with an engine displacement greater than 50cc or more than 1,500 watts are covered by the motorcycle helmet law	15 and younger
Maryland	Good	all riders	some Maryland all low-power cycles designed to travel at speeds exceeding 35 mph, scooters with with engine displacement greater than 50cc or brake horsepower greater than 2.7 and mopeds with an engine displacement greater than 50cc or brake horsepower greater than 1.5 are covered by the motorcycle helmet law	15 and younger
Massachusetts	Good	all riders	yes Massachusetts all low-power cycles covered by the motorcycle helmet law	1–16 (riding with children younger than 1 prohibited)
Michigan	Good	all riders	some Michigan all low-power cycles with an engine displacement greater than 50cc, brake horsepower greater than 2, or can attain speeds greater than 30 mph and all low-power cycles operated by those 18 and younger are covered by the motorcycle helmet law	no law
Minnesota	Poor	17 and younger6	yes Minnesota all low-power cycles covered by the motorcycle helmet law	no law
Mississippi	Good	all riders	yes Mississippi all low-power cycles covered by the motorcycle helmet law	no law
Missouri	Good	all riders	some Missouri all low-power cycles with an engine displacement greater than 50cc, brake horsepower greater than 3, or can attain speeds greater than 30 mph are covered by the motorcycle helmet law	no law
Montana	Poor	17 and younger	some Montana all low-power cycles with an engine displacement greater than 50cc, brake horsepower greater than 2, or can attain speeds greater than 30 mph are covered by the motorcycle helmet law	no law
Nebraska	Good	all riders	yes Nebraska all low-power cycles covered by the motorcycle helmet law	no law
Nevada	Good	all riders	some Nevada all low-power cycles with an engine displacement greater than 50cc, brake horsepower greater than 2, or can attain speeds greater than 30 mph are covered by the motorcycle helmet law	no law
New Hampshire	Poor	no law	no law New Hampshire no law	15 and younger
New Jersey	Good	all riders	yes New Jersey all low-power cycles covered by the motorcycle helmet law	16 and younger
New Mexico	Poor	17 and younger	some New Mexico all low-power cycles with an engine displacement greater than 50cc or can attain speeds greater than 30 mph are covered by the motorcycle helmet law	17 and younger
New York	Good	all riders	some New York all low-power cycles designed to travel at speeds of 20 mph or greater are covered by the motorcycle helmet law	1–13 (riding with children younger than 1 prohibited)
North Carolina	Good	all riders	yes North Carolina all low-power cycles covered by the motorcycle helmet law	15 and younger
North Dakota	Poor	17 and younger7	yes North Dakota all low-power cycles covered by the motorcycle helmet law	no law
Ohio	Poor	17 and younger8	yes Ohio all low-power cycles covered by the motorcycle helmet law	no law
Oklahoma	Poor	17 and younger	some Oklahoma all low-power cycles are covered by the motorcycle helmet law except bicycle helmets are acceptable for electric assisted bicycles operated by those 18 and younger	no law
Oregon	Good	all riders	yes Oregon all low-power cycles covered by the motorcycle helmet law	15 and younger
Pennsylvania	Poor	20 and younger9	some Pennsylvania all low-power cycles with an engine displacement greater than 50cc, brake horsepower greater than 1 1/2, or can attain speeds greater than 25 mph are covered by the motorcycle helmet law	11 and younger
Rhode Island	Poor	20 and younger10	some Rhode Island all low-power cycles with an engine displacement greater than 50cc, brake horsepower greater than 4.9 or can attain speeds greater than 30 mph are covered by the motorcycle helmet law	15 and younger
South Carolina	Poor	20 and younger	yes South Carolina all low-power cycles covered by the motorcycle helmet law	no law
South Dakota	Poor	17 and younger	yes South Dakota all low-power cycles covered by the motorcycle helmet law	no law
Tennessee	Good	all riders	yes Tennessee all low-power cycles covered by the motorcycle helmet law	15 and younger
Texas	Poor	20 and younger11	some Texas all low-power cycles, except motor assisted scooters with an engine displacement less than than 40cc, are covered by the motorcycle helmet law	no law
Utah	Poor	17 and younger	yes Utah all low-power cycles covered by the motorcycle helmet law	no law
Vermont	Good	all riders	some Vermont all low-power cycles with an engine displacement greater than 50cc, brake horsepower greater than 2, or can attain speeds greater than 30 mph are covered by the motorcycle helmet law	no law
Virginia	Good	all riders	some Virginia all low-power cycles operated at speeds greater than 35 mph or with an engine displacement greater than 50cc are covered by the motorcycle helmet law	no law
Washington	Good	all riders	yes Washington all low-power cycles covered by the motorcycle helmet law	no law
West Virginia	Good	all riders	some West Virginia all low-power cycles with an engine displacement greater than 50cc, brake horsepower greater than 2, or can attain speeds greater than 30 mph are covered by the motorcycle helmet law	14 and younger
Wisconsin	Poor	17 and younger12	some Wisconsin all low-power cycles designed to travel at speeds exceeding 30 mph or a Type 1 motorcycle with an automatic transmission with an engine displacement greater than 50cc are covered by the motorcycle helmet law	no law
Wyoming	Poor	17 and younger	some Wyoming all low-power cycles with an engine displacement greater than 50cc, brake horsepower greater than 2, or can attain speeds greater than 30 mph are covered by the motorcycle helmet law	no law

¹Alaska's motorcycle helmet use law covers passengers of all ages, operators younger than 18, and operators with instructional permits.

²In Delaware, every motorcycle operator or rider age 19 and older shall have in their possession a safety helmet approved by the Secretary.

³In Florida, the law requires that all riders younger than 21 years wear helmets, without exception. Those 21 years and older may ride without helmets only if they can show proof that they are covered by a medical insurance policy.

⁴In Kentucky, the law requires that all riders younger than 21 years wear helmets, without exception. Those 21 years and older may ride without helmets only if they can show proof that they are covered by a medical insurance policy. Motorcycle helmet laws in Kentucky also cover operators with instructional/learner's permits.

⁵Motorcycle helmet laws in Maine cover operators with instructional/learner's permits and operators in their first year of licensure. Maine's motorcycle helmet use law also covers passengers 17 years and younger and passengers if their operators are required to wear a helmet.

⁶Motorcycle helmet laws in Minnesota cover operators with instructional/learner's permits.

⁷North Dakota's motorcycle helmet use law covers all passengers traveling with operators who are covered by the law.

⁸Ohio's motorcycle helmet use law covers all operators during the first year of licensure and all passengers of operators who are covered by the law.

⁹Pennsylvania's motorcycle helmet use law covers all operators during the first two years of licensure unless the operator has completed the safety course approved by PennDOT or the Motorcycle Safety Foundation.

¹⁰Rhode Island's motorcycle helmet use law covers all passengers (regardless of age) and all operators during the first year of licensure (regardless of age).

¹¹Texas exempts riders 21 years or older if they can either show proof of successfully completing a motorcycle operator training and safety course or can show proof of having a medical insurance policy. A peace officer may not stop or detain a person who is the operator of or a passenger on a motorcycle for the sole purpose of determining whether the person has successfully completed the motorcycle operator training and safety course or is covered by a health insurance plan.

¹²Motorcycle helmet laws in Wisconsin cover operators with instructional/learner's permits.

RATINGS CRITERIA

•   Good: all motorcycle riders must wear helmets

•   Poor: either no helmet use law or law covers only some riders

PDF | Print |

FAQs - General

Written by Timothy Babb Thursday, 03 March 2011 00:59

PDF | Print |

FAQs - General

Written by Timothy Babb Friday, 01 October 2010 23:48

In our October 2010 meeting, Pat Coe advised us of Wind-Chill effects while riding. Hypothermia occurs when body temperature falls below 95 degrees Fahrenheit. As we come near our Winter season, the chart below provides some eye-opening numbers.

Beginning November 2001, the National Weather Service implemented an updated Wind Chill Temperature index. One thing you may notice at the hotter end of the chart is that riding in heat doesn't actually cool you off with the wind, it actually feels hotter.

Wind Chill calculation: T(wc) = 35.74 + 0.6215T - 35.75(V^0.16) + 0.4275T(V^0.16)
where T(wc) is the Wind Chill in degrees F, V is the Wind Speed in MPH, and T is the temperature in degrees F.

105 100 95 90 85 80 75 70 65 60 55 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 -5 -10 0 101 98 95 92 89 85 82 79 76 73 70 67 64 61 57 54 51 48 45 42 39 36 33 30 5 113 107 101 95 89 83 78 72 66 60 54 48 42 36 31 25 19 13 7 1 -5 -11 -16 -22 10 114 108 102 96 89 83 77 71 65 58 52 46 40 34 27 21 15 9 3 -4 -10 -16 -22 -26 15 115 109 102 96 89 83 77 70 64 57 51 45 38 32 25 19 13 6 0 -7 -13 -19 -26 -32 20 116 109 103 96 90 83 76 70 63 57 50 44 37 30 24 17 11 4 -2 -8 -15 -22 -29 -35 25 116 110 103 96 90 83 76 69 63 56 49 43 36 29 23 16 9 3 -4 -11 -17 -24 -31 -37 30 117 110 103 96 90 83 76 69 62 56 49 42 35 28 22 15 8 1 -5 -12 -19 -26 -33 -39 35 117 110 103 96 90 83 76 69 62 55 48 41 35 28 21 14 7 0 -7 -14 -21 -37 -34 -41 40 117 111 104 97 90 83 76 69 62 55 48 41 34 27 20 13 6 -1 -8 -15 -22 -29 -36 -43 45 118 111 104 97 90 83 76 69 61 54 47 40 33 26 19 12 5 -2 -9 -16 -23 -30 -37 -44 50 118 111 104 97 90 83 75 68 61 54 47 40 33 26 19 12 4 -3 -10 -17 -24 -31 -38 -45 55 118 111 104 97 90 83 75 68 61 54 47 40 32 25 18 11 4 -3 -11 -18 -25 -32 -39 -46 60 119 111 104 97 90 82 75 68 61 54 46 39 32 25 17 10 3 -4 -11 -19 -26 -33 -40 -48 65 119 112 104 97 90 82 75 68 61 53 46 39 32 24 17 10 2 -5 -12 -19 -27 -34 -41 -49 70 119 112 104 97 90 82 75 68 60 53 46 39 31 24 16 9 2 -6 -13 -20 -27 -35 -42 -49 75 119 112 104 97 90 82 75 68 60 53 46 38 31 23 16 9 1 -6 -13 -21 -28 -36 -43 -50 80 119 112 105 97 90 82 75 68 60 53 45 38 30 23 16 8 1 -7 -14 -21 -29 -36 -44 -51 85 120 112 105 97 90 82 75 67 60 52 45 38 30 23 15 8 0 -7 -15 -22 -30 -37 -44 -52 90 120 112 105 97 90 82 75 67 60 52 45 37 30 22 15 7 0 -8 -15 -23 -30 -38 -45 -53 95 120 112 105 97 90 82 75 67 60 52 45 37 29 22 14 7 -1 -8 -16 -23 -31 -38 -46 -53