MOTORCYCLE HELMET EXCEPTION S.B. 297: COMMITTEE SUMMARY
Senate Bill 297 (as introduced 3-10-05)
Sponsor: Senator Alan L. Cropsey
Committee: Judiciary
Date Completed: 3-14-05
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Michigan Vehicle Code to provide exceptions to the Code's requirement that a motorcycle operator and passenger wear an approved crash helmet.
The Code requires a person operating or riding on a motorcycle, and any person under 19 years old operating a moped on a public thoroughfare to wear a crash helmet on his or her head. Under the bill, this requirement would not apply to either of the following:
-- A person at least 21 years old who had been licensed under the Code to operate a motorcycle for at least two years or who had successfully completed a motorcycle safety course as provided under the Code.
-- The passenger on a motorcycle operated by a person to whom the helmet requirement would not apply, if the passenger were at least 21 years old.
(The Code requires a person under 18 years of age who is issued an original motorcycle endorsement on a driver's license to pass an examination and a motorcycle safety course. A person at least 18 years old who is issued an original motorcycle endorsement must pass an examination, but if he or she fails the examination two or more times, he or she must successfully complete a motorcycle safety course. A motorcycle safety course may be conducted by a college or university, an intermediate school district, a local school district, a law enforcement agency, any other governmental agency located in Michigan, or a private business.)
Currently, the crash helmet requirement does not apply to a person operating or riding in an autocycle, if the vehicle is equipped with a roof that meets or exceeds standards for a crash helmet. (An "autocycle" is an enclosed motorcycle that is equipped with safety belts, rollbar, windshield, wipers, steering wheel, and equipment otherwise required on a motorcycle, and that has no more than three wheels in contact with the roadway at any one time.) The bill would retain this exception.
MCL 257.658 Legislative Analyst: Patrick Affholter
FISCAL IMPACT
To the extent that the bill would exempt certain people from wearing a crash helmet, it could decrease the number of civil infraction determinations for violations of this section, thereby decreasing fine revenue dedicated to public libraries.
If the passage of the bill led to more head injuries, Medicaid costs for the State could potentially increase.
Fiscal Analyst: Bethany Wicksall
Steve Angelotti
Analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent. sb297/0506