Riding a motorcycle can be an exhilarating experience for many people, however, it is important to note that New Jersey law requires motorcyclists to wear DOT-approved helmets.
In fact, it’s not as simple as just wearing a helmet, because the New Jersey motorcycle helmet law is multi-faceted and has specific penalties if you violate the law.
These laws aim to encourage motorcycle safety and reduce motorcycle accident injuries; however, motorcycle accidents can still result in traumatic injuries.
If you are injured in a motorcycle accident, a Jersey City motorcycle accident lawyer can help investigate your accident, negotiate with insurance companies, and file a claim in court if necessary.
Compliance with Helmet Laws
Motorcycle helmet laws vary from state to state with some states with no helmet laws.
However, for motorcyclists in Jersey City, motorcycle helmet compliance with motorcycle helmet laws in New Jersey is required. The requirements of the law include:
- Helmets Are Mandatory – New Jersey’s law is a universal helmet law meaning that everyone, regardless of age or experience, must wear a helmet at all times. Passengers are covered by this requirement in order to improve motorcycle passenger safety.
- Helmets Must be DOT Approved – All helmets worn must be approved by the federal department of transportation. These helmets are tested for helmet effectiveness to ensure rider safety.
- Helmet Fit – motorcycle helmet safety standards require a helmet to have a secure fit and be the correct size for each rider on the motorcycle. Furthermore, each helmet must be equipped with a chin strap or neck strap which must be used to satisfy the legal requirements.
- Reflective Helmet – the new jersey helmet law requires both sides of the helmet to be reflective.
- Eye-Protection – The law requires riders to wear protective eyewear such as goggles or a full-face helmet unless the motorcycle has a windscreen.
- Other Standards – the helmet must also meet certain requirements such as peripheral vision, surface contouring and labeling which should be met by a DOT helmet unless modifications have been made.
The law on motorcycle helmet states that penalties include a fine of $25. Furthermore, motorcyclists should be advised that they can be pulled over for riding without a helmet and be charged with violating other motorcycle traffic laws such expired motorcycle registration, failure to comply with motorcycle licensing requirements, or failure to have motorcycle insurance.
Importance of Helmet Usage: Safety and Beyond
The New Jersey motorcycle helmet law was designed for motorcycle safety. The history of motorcycle helmet law begins in 1967 when the federal government required states to enact universal helmet laws to receive highway funding. However, penalties for non-compliance stopped being assessed in 1976 leading to many states weakening their laws with motorcycle helmet law exceptions and reducing motorcycle helmet law enforcement.
Regardless, since the introduction of these laws, there has been a substantial increase in helmet law compliance among motorcycle riders with some states seeing a greater than 80% helmet usage rate.
Helmet law effectiveness has produced many helmet safety benefits including reduced fatalities with motorcycle safety statistics showing a 29% reduction in fatalities and a lower rate of head, facial, and traumatic brain injuries.
Other Safety Factors
Motorcycle rider protection is dependent on other factors such as motorcycle helmet types with full-face helmets providing a higher level of protection than a half helmet or a three-quarter helmet.
A lawyer would tell you that other motorcycle safety gear such as a jacket or back protector can help prevent things like spinal cord injuries in a motorcycle crash according to motorcycle accident statistics.
Legal Support and Next Steps
Even though motorcycle helmet laws have been effective at increasing motorcyclist safety, riding a motorcycle can still be a dangerous activity because of a lack of protection compared to cars and the inherent instability of the two-wheel design, making motorcycle accident prevention difficult.
As such, it may be necessary to hire a motorcycle accident attorney to protect their rights if they are in a motorcycle accident.
An attorney can help determine motorcycle accident liability and recover motorcycle accident compensation for you. However, rider responsibilities still apply, and New Jersey is a comparative negligence state, and your compensation could be reduced if you were partially at-fault.
The Jersey City personal injury lawyer and legal team at Omni Injury and Accident Law are here to help if you have been injured in a motorcycle accident.
They will work vigorously to recover compensation by investigating the accident to determine liability, negotiating with the insurance companies to get you a fair settlement, and filing a claim within the statute of limitations and representing you in court, if necessary.
Contact Omni Law today at 646-503-0404 to set up a free consultation to learn more about your case.