A Brief Legislative History of Bicycle Helmets

A BRIEF LEGISLATIVE HISTORY OF BICYCLE HELMETS 1986 The first bicycle helmet law was passed in California. Later on in 1993, the law was amended to cover all children under the age of 18. 1994 The Child Safety Protection Act of 1994 was passed on June 16 of the aforementioned year. 1997 As of September 1997, 15 states have put strict, age-specific bicycle helmet laws into place for their respective citizens. Said Act required that the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) meet a monitored safety standard for bicycle helmet production. Most state-mandated bicycle helmet laws cover cyclists under the age of 16. 1995 Furthermore, an interim mandatory bicycle helmet standard came into effect on March 17, 1995. The new law required that all helmets meet any one of the following standards: ANSI, ASTM, Snell or Canadian (CSA). 1998 March 10, 1998 brought with it more changes for bicycle helmet legislation. The CPSC published 16 CFR Part 1203, also known as the Safety Standard for Bicycle Helmets. 1999 The rule affected all helmets manufactured after March 10, 1999 and required them to meet the following safety regulations: Proper impact protection, as determined by state-regulated performance tests An increased standard for area head coverage for children ages 1 to 5 Appropriate chin strap strength and stability Robert J. DeBry ASSOCI ATES http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bike/docs/b_helmetlaws.pdf O -.......