# Bicycling: Is it a law now that one \*has\* to wear a helmet? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 25, 2005, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycling-is-it-a-law-now-that-one-has-to-wear-a-helmet/300949 "2005-04-25T01:56:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycling-is-it-a-law-now-that-one-has-to-wear-a-helmet/300949/21 "2005-04-25T17:43:49Z")
I started wearing a bicycle helmet about fifteen years ago, and now I don’t even notice it. They are so lightweight that they don’t give me any trouble or discomfort. I’ve always liked this “man joke”: Men are like bike helmets. They’re handy in an emergency, but most of the time they just look stupid. And that kind of says it all. Helmets aren’t a fashion accessory. To paraphrase the seatbelt saying: Helmets looks stupid? Not as stupid as your head splattered all over the pavement. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycling-is-it-a-law-now-that-one-has-to-wear-a-helmet/300949/22 "2005-04-25T18:08:31Z")
Seattle (King County) requires bike helmets for all ages in all usages, whether it be streets, trails, or your driveway. I hate it myself, I dislike helmets and the only time I wear them is if I am sharing the road with car traffic on main roads. For paved bike trails or suburbs I never wear them. I’ve come close on occasion to getting ticketed, the UW campus cops are notorious for their helmet sweep crackdowns. I live close to the King County border, and envision a time when I can make a sprint from the law, Dukes of Hazzard style, and slide to a stop across the county line as the local constabulary shake their water bottles in frustration at me. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycling-is-it-a-law-now-that-one-has-to-wear-a-helmet/300949/23 "2005-04-25T18:44:12Z")
> [@Jonathan Woodall](#): > > Your odds of dying go down in a bike accident go down by 80% if you have a helmet on. > Your odds of serious brain damage go down by 85% if you have a helmet. > … > If a helmet law reduces ridership by 5%, the public health benefits of the decreased mortality due to helmets are precisely balanced out by the increased cardiovascular mortality due to 5% of the population not getting the exercise they would otherwise have been getting. > I don’t know about that last statistic, but I read his miniature thesis on the subject, and it LOOKED up to snuff. Of course it also assumed people would not take up swimming, basketball or jogging instead as substitutes. That last bit can’t possibly be right, unless he’s assuming that helmet laws dissuade 5% of the _total population_ from riding. But, really, it’s only the people who are already biking (and who are getting that awesome 80% health benefit) who should be considered. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycling-is-it-a-law-now-that-one-has-to-wear-a-helmet/300949/24 "2005-04-25T19:00:47Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > I live close to the King County border, and envision a time when I can make a sprint from the law, Dukes of Hazzard style, and slide to a stop across the county line as the local constabulary shake their water bottles in frustration at me. I assume you’d be jumping your bike over the old, washed-out bridge while making your getaway? ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycling-is-it-a-law-now-that-one-has-to-wear-a-helmet/300949/25 "2005-04-25T19:22:28Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > FWIW, I grew up riding a bicycle without a helmet. Based on the crashes I had, I’d say it would make more sense to require _cups!_ :eek: And elbow and knee protectors and gloves. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycling-is-it-a-law-now-that-one-has-to-wear-a-helmet/300949/26 "2005-04-25T19:24:58Z")
> [@](#): > > I live close to the King County border, and envision a time when I can make a sprint from the law, Dukes of Hazzard style, and slide to a stop across the county line as the local constabulary shake their water bottles in frustration at me. You do realize that unless you cross state lines, you haven’t confounded them a bit? Police officers anywhere in a state have legal authority everywhere in that state. They usually do stick to their own jurisdiction and radio ahead to the local authority of the next town/county over, but that’s just a matter of courtesy. If they wanted to, they could follow you across the county line and proceed with whatever action they were intent on (presumably ticketing), possibly with a little extra added for attempting to evade. On the subject of bikes on roads, they are usually required to stay to the far right of the road (as close to the curb as is safe) unless making a left turn. Some places (especially around college campuses) even have designated bike lanes. And unlike pedestrians, bicycles are vehicles, and drive on the right side of the road just like all other vehicles (pedestrians on the road should walk on the left side). ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycling-is-it-a-law-now-that-one-has-to-wear-a-helmet/300949/27 "2005-04-25T19:45:20Z")
> [@](#): > > On the subject of bikes on roads, they are usually required to stay to the far right of the road (as close to the curb as is safe) unless making a left turn. That is not a universal law, and riding far too the right can in fact, be dangerous for the bicyclist. And it is one law I will always break when in the dangerous situations (on the theory that public safety comes before traffic laws). First of all, if there’s a right turn lane and you’re going straight, you should never be all the way to the right (duh? Lanes of traffic -cars or bicycles – crossing is always bad and leads to loss of precious bodily fluids. And not in a good way.). I mean, in general, ride in the same lane as you would if you were in a car – left turn, right turn, center, whatever. And even if there’s no dedicated right-turn lane, don’t let anybody share your lane to the left of you if there’s even the remotest chance they’re going to turn right. Secondly, in most lanes around here there isn’t room for an SUV and a bicycle side by side,anyway. But since most motorists aren’t very experienced at making that judgement, and tend to be in a hurry, they’ll try and squeeze past a cyclist if there’s even a shadow of an opening. So a safe cyclist will ride in the center or even towards the left half of the lane, to make sure any drivers behind him wait until it’s safe to pass. (same idea applies even if the lane is wide, but there’s an intersection. Move left until you’ve ridden through the intersection, so nobody righ t hooks you) How to Ride in Traffic: [http://www.bikexprt.com/streetsmarts/](http://www.bikexprt.com/streetsmarts/) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycling-is-it-a-law-now-that-one-has-to-wear-a-helmet/300949.md?page=1)