In 30 days, people riding bikes without a helmet in Seattle will no longer be breaking the law. The King County Board of Health voted Thursday to repeal the county’s mandatory helmet law citing evidence that enforcement disproportionately targets people of color and the homeless.
“The general sentiment of the majority was that they still strongly recommend helmet use, just not the police-enforced strategy for achieving that public health goal,” the Seattle Bike Blog reports:
A large coalition, including major biking and safe streets advocacy organizations like Cascade Bicycle Club, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways and even the national League of American Bicyclists have signed onto the effort to repeal the law. But the most recent repeal effort got kickstarted following a 2020 Real Change investigation into an incident in which a man experiencing homelessness was ticketed for not wearing a helmet after someone drove into and injured him. Subsequent research by the Helmet Law Working Group found that nearly half of Seattle helmet law citations went to people experiencing homelessness. Police also issue the tickets inequitably.
In addition to repealing the law, Thursday’s vote included a resolution encouraging King County cities to repeal local helmet laws. Cities with their own helmet laws include Auburn, Bellevue, Black Diamond, Burien, Des Moines, Duvall, Enumclaw, Federal Way, Issaquah, Kent, Lake Forest Park, Maple Valley, North Bend, Pacific, Renton, SeaTac and Snoqualmie.
The Seattle Police Department, meanwhile, had already stopped enforcing the helmet law as part of equitable policing changes to its traffic stop policies.
As for safety, you can have your pick of statistics. Helmets prevent more people from getting hurt — especially serious head injuries. You should still wear a helmet when you can.
The King County repeal, meanwhile, goes into effect in 30 days.
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Was not aware of the N equitability issue with helmets. I had assumed it was because jump and other bike share programs lobbied local officials to change the law so they users would not be in violation.
What do you call an idiot who rides a bike or motorcycle without a helmet? An organ donor.
disproportionately targets people of color and the homeless
To get head injuries?
If you can afford a bike, you can afford a helmet. If you get a free bike, you can definitely afford a helmet. If you pick up a bike at Goodwill, you can also definitely afford a helmet. No connection to race or income. There’s always walking or state-subsidized bus pass. Whatever. Don’t be fooled.
Not all bad ideas need to be illegal.
Free at last, free at last.