In the face of data showing enforcement has been minimal and has disproportionately affected people of color and the homeless, the King County Board of Health voted to repeal its decades-old mandatory helmet law for bicycle riders.
SEATTLE — In the face of data showing enforcement has been both minimal and has disproportionately affected people of color and those experiencing homelessness, the King County Board of Health voted Thursday to repeal its decades-old mandatory helmet law for bicycle riders. The repeal goes into effect in 30 days.
“We need the impact analysis to actually look at, does the actual helmet law itself reduce brain injuries?” she said. “We’re unequivocally pro helmet-use,” said Lee Lambert, executive director of the Cascade Bicycle Club. However, “we have concerns about disproportionate enforcement and how it impacts people of color and unhoused people. If we’re centering safety, there are other ways we can make bicycling safer.”
At the time, studies suggested that implementing helmet laws increased helmet use, especially among young people. Studies also repeatedly confirmed that helmet use reduces the severity of injuries. Fatalities and severe head injuries among cyclists decreased following the law’s implementation, according to research from Harborview Medical Center.
A separate analysis from Central Seattle Greenways found that Black riders were roughly four times more likely to receive a citation for not wearing a helmet.
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