Brain damage is one of the most serious and commonly life-threatening consequences a high-speed motorcycle crash can have. Wearing an approved safety helmet is one of the best ways to protect yourself from the worst possible effects of a wreck. Pennsylvania law does not universally require everyone who gets on a motorcycle to wear a helmet while riding, even if they are traveling long distances at high speeds.
Understanding Bethlehem motorcycle helmet laws can be key both to protecting yourself and your loved ones in the event of an accident as well as preserving your right to file suit against someone else for causing you to get hurt in a motorcycle crash. Our seasoned motorcycle accident attorneys can go into more detail about regulations during a free, no-obligation consultation.
What Does State Law Say About Motorcycle Helmets?
According to 75 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes §3525, everyone who operates or rides a motorcycle or any motor-driven cycle is required to wear a helmet while riding, except for people in Bethlehem who meet the exceptions. This helmet must meet the safety standards established by the State Department of Transportation to qualify as a helmet for this purpose, which typically means it must be approved by federal transportation authorities or an equivalent national organization.
Additionally, all operators and riders on standard motorcycles must wear eye protection that meets the standards set by the state Department of Transportation. A shatterproof visor attached to an approved helmet meets this requirement on its own, but anyone wearing an open-faced helmet or no helmet must wear goggles or some other form of approved protection with virtually no exceptions.
Exceptions to Motorcycle Helmet Laws
There are no exceptions to the helmet requirement for any operator or rider of a standard motorcycle in Bethlehem under the age of 21. Operators over the age of 21 may be exempt from the helmet requirement if they have had a valid motorcycle operator’s license issued by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for at least two years or if they have completed a motorcycle safety class approved by the state Department of Transportation or the Motorcycle Safety Foundation.
Motorcycle passengers over the age of 21 are exempt from the helmet requirement, as are both operators and passengers of any age who are riding within the enclosed cab of a three-wheeled motorcycle. There may be additional exceptions made under specific circumstances for things like motorcycle processions during pre-approved parades.
A Bethlehem Attorney Can Explain Motorcycle Helmet Laws in More Detail
Wearing a proper safety helmet with built-in eye protection substantially reduces your risk of sustaining life-altering brain trauma in the event you get caught up in an accident. If you fail to comply with Bethlehem motorcycle helmet laws, you may also have a much harder time demanding civil compensation from someone whose negligence led to you getting hurt in a crash. Your failure to follow the law may be seen as comparative fault for your own injuries by a court ruling on your case.
Assistance from a seasoned lawyer will be vital to achieving the best possible resolution to a lawsuit or settlement demand built around a motorcycle accident. Call Ostroff Godshall Injury and Accident Lawyers today to learn more.
