Bicyclists and Pedestrians

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.

  • 21 states, the District of Columbia and the Northern Mariana Islands have a helmet law for bicyclists below a certain age, generally about 16.
    • Only the Virgin Islands and Guam require helmets for all bicyclists.
  • The remaining (unlisted) 29 states and Puerto Rico have no bicycle helmet law.

Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.

Laws last reviewed by SHSOs in March 2023.

Short Term Description
GHSA does not track state pedestrian safety laws but does track bicycle helmet laws in states where they have been enacted.
New Mexico
Bike helmets required?

Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 18.

West Virginia
Bike helmets required?

Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 15.

Virgin Islands
Bike helmets required?

Bicycle helmets required for all riders.

Tennessee
Bike helmets required?

Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.

Rhode Island
Bike helmets required?

Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.

Pennsylvania
Bike helmets required?

Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 12.

Oregon
Bike helmets required?

Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.

Northern Mariana Islands
Bike helmets required?

Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 18.

North Carolina
Bike helmets required?

Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.

New York
Bike helmets required?

Bicycle helmets required for all riders 1 year or older and under 14. Children under 1 prohibited.

New Jersey
Bike helmets required?

Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 17.

New Hampshire
Bike helmets required?

Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.

Massachusetts
Bike helmets required?

Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 17.

Maryland
Bike helmets required?

Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.

Maine
Bike helmets required?

Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16. $25 fine for a second or subsequent violation.

Louisiana
Bike helmets required?

Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 12.

Hawaii
Bike helmets required?

Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.

Guam
Bike helmets required?

Bicycle helmets required for all riders.

Georgia
Bike helmets required?

Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.

Florida
Bike helmets required?

Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.

District of Columbia
Bike helmets required?

Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.

Delaware
Bike helmets required?

Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 18.

Connecticut
Bike helmets required?

Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.

California
Bike helmets required?

Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 18.

Alabama
Bike helmets required?

Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.

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“One of the biggest things the states are doing is embracing the safe system approach,” said Adam Snider, GHSA director of communications. According to the GHSA, the safe system approach “is a shift from conventional road safety thinking” that “aims to create a multi-layered safety net, so that if one countermeasure fails, another will help prevent a crash or, in the event of a crash, lessen the likelihood of serious injury or death.”

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Last year, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association, more than 7,500 pedestrians were killed while walking on U.S. roadways. Between 2010 and 2021, in fact, pedestrian deaths rose 77 percent, to 7,624 from an annual total of 4,302. This increase has taken us to a 40-year high for pedestrian fatalities.

The Path to Reducing Pedestrian Deaths Is Steep but Straight

Story by Jamelle Bouie
October 21, 2023

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