The History Behind Helmet Laws in the United States

To get a better idea of motorcycle helmet laws today, it’s a good idea to look back at the history of helmet laws over the last several decades:

Between 1966 and 1975, the majority of states enacted a universal helmet use law. This was in response to a federal requirement. Prior to 1966, there were no legal requirements to wear a helmet while riding your motorcycle.

Between 1976 and 1980, half of the states already repealed or amended their helmet use laws.

Between 1989 and 1994, more states began to re-enact the helmet use law.

Between 1995 and 2001, five states (Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Kentucky, and Arkansas) repealed the law. And by the end of 2001, a total of 20 states had universal helmet laws, with an additional 27 states

implementing laws that applied to some riders, usually below a certain age. Three states still had no helmet law whatsoever.

As you can see, there has been a lot of back and forth throughout the 50 states regarding the helmet law and whether or not it should be in place.