Anyone in Philadelphia under the age of 12 is required to wear a helmet while riding their bicycle. Although Philadelphia’s current statutes don’t require bicyclists over the age of 13 to wear helmets, PennDOT encourages riders to wear helmets for their own safety.
While we’re on the subject of helmet laws, Pennsylvania does exempt two groups of motorcyclists from wearing helmets. First, motorcycle riders who are over 21-years-old and have a minimum of two years experience riding a motorcycle aren’t required to wear a helmet. You could also legally ride a motorcycle without a helmet if you’re over 21 and have successfully completed a motorcycle safety course hosted by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation or PennDOT.
Of course, safety officials strongly encourage bicyclists, motorcyclist, and e-scooter riders to wear helmets at all times.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), however, shows most Americans aren’t taking these positive safety results seriously. One CDC-sponsored survey discovered less than 50 percent of kids between 5 and 14-years-old said they wore helmets every time they rode their bicycles. The CDC noted that as children grow into teens and young adults, they are even less likely to wear helmets.
To read Pennsylvania’s laws regarding helmets for bicyclists in full, take a peek at the Statutes of Pennsylvania Chapter 35, § 3510 on this link.
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