December 6, 2005
Current Ohio Helmet Law
Ohio Revised Code 4511.53. Rules for bicycles, motorcycles and snowmobiles.
"...No person who is
under the age of eighteen years, or who holds a motorcycle operator's endorsement or license bearing a "novice" designation that is currently in effect as provided in section 4507.13 of the Revised Code, shall operate a motorcycle on a highway, or be a passenger on a motorcycle, unless wearing a protective helmet on the person's head, and no other person shall be a passenger on a motorcycle operated by such a person unless similarly wearing a protective helmet..."
Proposed Changes to the Current Ohio Helmet Law
House Bill #406
"...No person who is
under the age of eighteen twenty-five years, or who holds a motorcycle operator's endorsement or license bearing a "novice" designation that is currently in effect as provided in section 4507.13 of the Revised Code, shall operate a motorcycle on a highway, or be a passenger on a motorcycle, unless wearing a protective helmet on the person's head, and no other person shall be a passenger on a motorcycle operated by such a person unless similarly wearing a protective helmet..."
Other changes would include a
mandatory fine of $500.00, AND two days in jail or a safety class. If the fine cannot be paid, two days in jail will be imposed.
Read HB406 in full
Here's what you can do
Contact the bill sponsor and co-sponsors
Thomas Patton is the sponsor of HB406 and is from District18 which is in Cuyahoga County. The co-sponsors are Dixie Allen from District 39 in Dayton, Edna Brown from District 48 in Toledo, Joseph Koziura from District 56 in Lorain, and Brian Williams from District 41 in Akron.
Call, write or email the representatives and tell them how you feel about the proposed changes.
They want to hear from you. Their job is to represent the people in their districts and they do that by knowing what you want. Without your voice, they can only guess.
In your communications be sure to state the bill that you are referring to, if you oppose or are for the bill and what your reasons are. Be polite and to the point.
Representatives contact information
Tell everyone that you know
Don't assume that everyone has heard about the proposed changes. Talk about it to everyone even if you are not sure if they ride or not. I ride, I run a motorcycle related website and it still took almost a month for me to hear about the bill. Tell everyone! and tell them to contact their representative.
My Opinion and Stance on The Proposed Changes
As the main voice of this website, I feel it is important for you to know where I stand on this issue. I wear a helmet presently because I am required by law to do so as a novice rider. I cannot say at this time if I will continue to wear a helmet after I am no longer required.
I like having the freedom to make the decision on my own. Therefore, I am against a mandatory helmet law for anyone over the age of eighteen.
Ohio already has a rider safety program and I do not think that another program, designed for someone that chooses not to wear a helmet, is going to make the road any safer for me. In my opinion, any additional safety programs need to be geared towards those drivers that do not ride a motorcycle.
Please do not think that because you are 25 or older that these proposed changes do not concern you. If you do not want a
mandatory helmet law for everyone, you need to help fight this. If this bill passes without major opposition, we will all be fighting for freedom of choice in the near future.
