Bill In Olympia Could Allow People To Ride With No Helmets

It could soon be legal to ride a motorcycle without a helmet in Washington State. A bill allowing people age 21 and over to ride a motorcycle without a helmet was heard before a state Senate committee in Olympia on Monday. Andrew Elkington of Yakima is the spokesperson for the motorcycle riders group for the Central Washington Chapter of ABATE. He says it's something the group has been pushing for years calling it helmet choice. "I don't see a difference between crashing with your helmet on or crashing with your helmet off if you're given the choice. In my mind it's just the government telling us what's best for us without knowing us."
Shelly Baldwin, with the Washington Traffic Safety Commission if the proposal becomes law the state will most likely see more fatalities. Currently the state has a 96 percent helmet use rate. One of the sponsors, Senator Sharon Brown a Republican from Kennewick says it gives riders the chance to make a decision about a helmet themselves.
Senate Bill 5007 will still have to be voted on by the Senate Transportation Committee.