• Federal and state laws govern the manufacture and usage of motorcycle helmets.moto sur un circuit image by thierry planche from Fotolia.com
  
  The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has reported that between 1997 and 2005, the total number of annual motorcycle fatalities increased from 2,116 to 4,553 and that 42 percent of those who died were not wearing helmets. In the U.S., both federal and state laws govern the manufacture and usage of motorcycle helmets. Federal law provides safety standards for the manufacture of helmets, while state laws regulate who must wear them.
  
  

Federal Standards for the Manufacture of Motorcycle Helmets

• Federal Vehicle Safety Standard No. 218 mandates laboratory testing of motorcycle helmets to ensure that they resist puncture and that chin straps remain fastened upon impact. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) developed standards -- Z.90.1 (1966 and 1971) -- which became the early benchmarks for testing motorcycle helmets in the U.S., but which are not incorporated in Federal Standard No. 218. The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA), along with the Snell Memorial Foundation, promote the development of safer and more effective motorcycle headgear, and the AAMVA also cooperates with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration to publish guidelines for motorcycle operator education and advises state highway administrators about helmet safety standards.
  
  

Mandatory Helmet Laws Covering a Portion of the Population

• Twenty-seven states require only some motorcycle operators and riders to wear helmets. The typical statute, like those of Mississippi and Florida, makes protective headgear mandatory for minors who operate or ride motorcycles. Generally, the statutes also indicate which federal safety standard is adopted for helmets.
  
  

Universal Mandatory Helmet Requirement

• Twenty states require all motorcycle operators and riders to wear helmets. The statutes in these states make protective headgear mandatory and specify the federal standard adopted by the state. In one special case -- Florida -- helmets are mandatory unless an individual over 21 years also carries $10,000 in medical benefit insurance.
  
  

Jurisdictions With No Mandatory Motorcycle Helmet Law

• Three U.S. states -- Illinois, Iowa and New Hampshire -- do not have mandatory helmet laws. Therefore, no rider or motorcycle operator, regardless of age, is required to wear protective headgear in these three states.