GHSA does not track state pedestrian safety laws but does track bicycle helmet laws in states where they have been enacted. Few states have enacted bicycle helmet laws. While GHSA only tracks state laws, many localities require helmet use for some or all bicyclists.
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
Laws last reviewed by SHSOs in March 2023.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 18.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 15.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 12.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 18.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders 1 year or older and under 14. Children under 1 prohibited.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 17.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 17.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16. $25 fine for a second or subsequent violation.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 12.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 18.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 18.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.
According to a press release from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), pedestrian deaths in the United States dropped by 4 percent in the first half of 2023, but remain 19 percent higher than in 2019 before the pandemic began. The rise in pedestrian deaths is even more stark when looking back at the past decade – fatalities have risen a staggering 58% between the first half of 2013 and 2023.
American pedestrians were at slightly less risk of being killed by a car last year. The Governors Highway Safety Association has just published a preliminary analysis of road safety data for the first half of 2023, and it has found a "modest" reduction in pedestrian fatalities, which have been all too high in recent years.
Pedestrian deaths declined modestly nationwide in the first half of last year, a positive development after a decade of troubling increases, but in Michigan, the numbers didn’t follow the national model. Michigan — with 74 deaths — saw its highest pedestrian toll for the first six months of a year since before the onset of the pandemic, according to preliminary data released Tuesday from the Governors Highway Safety Association.
America experienced a modest but heartening decrease in pedestrian deaths in the first half of last year, a new analysis projects — but the death toll is still higher than before the pandemic, and in some states, it's rapidly on the rise. "Of course, [a four-percent year-over-year decrease] is welcome news," said Russ Martin, senior director of policy and government relations for the Governors Highway Safety Association, which compiled the report. "But this is still way above what it was prior to the pandemic."
The number of pedestrians killed on U.S. roads declined by 4% in the first half of last year, according to preliminary estimates published Tuesday by the Governors Highway Safety Association. But pedestrian fatality numbers are still far above their 2019 levels.
The rise in pedestrian deaths is even more stark when looking back at the past decade – fatalities have risen a staggering 58% between the first half of 2013 and 2023.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 21, 2024
Contact: Chris Minar, 202-466-5073, 301-395-6565 (after hours)
Statement by Jonathan Adkins, Chief Executive Officer, Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA)
Early this year, the United States will mark a grim and tragic milestone: Four million roadway deaths since 1899. Every single one of these people left behind countless family members, friends, colleagues and neighbors. It’s impossible to fully comprehend the grief and tragedy caused by a single death, let alone four million. Something must change.
GHSA News Release
February 21, 2024
This year, the US will reach a total four million deaths on the road since 1899, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA). Marking this 'grim and tragic milestone', the organisation's CEO Jonathan Adkins calls for a renewed sense of urgency in tackling this "safety crisis" and suggests more enforcement and better road design as key areas in which improvements can be made.
Walking has declined over the last three years in the US – yet pedestrian fatalities have been rising. New research from StreetLight Data, suggests that annual average daily walking trips in the US dropped by 36% nationwide from 2019-22. What makes that figure even more remarkable is that pedestrian fatalities increased over the same period, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association’s Pedestrian Traffic Fatalities by State report - meaning that safety has gotten worse.
