Who Can Enforce

• While traffic police enforce a majority of bicycle helmet violations, all law enforcement officers have the authority to cite a violator. In Seattle, for instance, this can include the Seattle police, King County sheriffs department and Washington state troopers.
  
  

Penalties

• The penalty for violating helmet requirements typically is a fine. In King County, the standard penalty is $81 ($30 in fines and $51 for courts costs). A violation is a civil infraction which does not include a jail sentence. Additionally, the violation can be contested in court and the final decision left to a judge. In some jurisdictions, such as Seattle, if a violator shows that they have purchased a helmet after being cited, the court has the discretion to dismiss the case.
  
  

Scope

• The intent of the laws is that bicyclists where helmets all the time, but the laws only require their use on a public roadway, a state, county or municipal bicycle path or any publicly-owed facility or land.
  
  

Liability

• In most jurisdictions, the parents or responsible adult of a child under the age of 18 has a duty to take reasonable steps to make sure that the child wears a helmet when riding a bike. Additionally, anyone who rents bicycles must make sure that the rider has a helmet or include a helmet with the rental.
  
  

Standards

• Most laws require that the helmet meet a minimum standard of safety. In King County, for example, helmets must comply with standards set forth by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission or the American National Standards Institute. At a minimum, the helmets must not be damaged, must not block the field of vision and must include a means to securely fasten the helmet to the rider's head.