TN bill making motorcycle helmets optional for adults passes key House committee..
Mar. 13, 2013
Written by Duane W. Gang
A bill to make wearing a motorcycle
helmet optional for riders 21 and older passed a key legislative panel
Tuesday.
The measure, sponsored by Rep. Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, would give
riders the choice if they met certain requirements. Those include having minimum
insurance coverage - $100,000 in liability insurance coverage and $200,000 in
medical insurance, taking a safety course and buying a special $50 sticker
permitting riding without a helmet.
The House Transportation Committee approved the bill 10-7 and sent it to the House Finance Committee for consideration.
“People want to have a choice,” Sexton said.
Tennessee is one of 19 states nationwide that require a helmet for all motorcycle riders. Iowa, Illinois and New Hampshire have no helmet laws, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Traffic safety advocates and a group of the state’s leading health care providers oppose the measure, arguing that relaxing the law will lead to more injuries and deaths and burden taxpayers.
“When you get on a public road, sometimes your freedom changes,’’ said Rep. Bill Dunn, R-Knoxville, who said he had concerns about the proposal.
The House Transportation Committee delayed action a competing bill that would also have relaxed Tennessee’s helmet law. That bill also would make helmets optional for riders 21 and older and would increase motorcycle license fees from $17.50 to $19.50 with the extra revenue going to TennCare.
The House Transportation Committee approved the bill 10-7 and sent it to the House Finance Committee for consideration.
“People want to have a choice,” Sexton said.
Tennessee is one of 19 states nationwide that require a helmet for all motorcycle riders. Iowa, Illinois and New Hampshire have no helmet laws, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Traffic safety advocates and a group of the state’s leading health care providers oppose the measure, arguing that relaxing the law will lead to more injuries and deaths and burden taxpayers.
“When you get on a public road, sometimes your freedom changes,’’ said Rep. Bill Dunn, R-Knoxville, who said he had concerns about the proposal.
The House Transportation Committee delayed action a competing bill that would also have relaxed Tennessee’s helmet law. That bill also would make helmets optional for riders 21 and older and would increase motorcycle license fees from $17.50 to $19.50 with the extra revenue going to TennCare.