Missouri kinda-sorta ditches its helmet laws.

[cloudbase]

Missouri’s state government has partially repealed its helmet laws for motorcyclists. Now, some riders–but not all–will be allowed to ride helmet-free.

Back in March, we had our first look at Missouri state senator Eric Burlison’s plan to cut back on the state’s helmet laws. At that time, Burlison wanted to remove the requirement for riders over 18 years old to wear helmets, as long as “he or she is covered by a health insurance policy or other form of insurance which will provide the person with medical benefits for injuries incurred as a result of a motorcycle or motortricycle accident.” As part of the law change, police would not be allowed to pull riders over to check to see if they had that insurance, either.

Burlison’s got his wish, sort of. Missouri governor Mike Parson has put the final stamp of approval on HB1963, which was sponsored by Representative Travis Fitzwater (some other transportation law changes were bundled with the bill). Now, starting August 28, 2020, riders in Missouri can leave their helmets home, if they’re age 26 or older. As Burlison’s previous attempts suggested, the helmetless riders must have proof of health insurance.

Not everyone thinks this is a good idea, as the St. Louis Post-Dispatch points out. Safety-focused organizations like Advocates For Highway & Auto Safety stood against the law change, saying it would result in an increase in brain injuries and deaths due to motorcycle accidents, costing the state government money.

https://advrider.com/missouri-kinda-sorta-ditches-its-helmet-laws

[Phoenix61]

1. Best description I heard of helmetless riders

came from an ER doc who rode. He called them “Future organ donors.” He said he didn’t wear a helmet until he started working in the ER.

[SWBTATTReg]

2. I love it, HB1963 should be called the 'Future Organ Donors' bill of 2020. A sad but appropriate...

name for this irresponsible bill. I suspect that some insurance carriers aren't going to like this not wearing a helmet and I kind of wonder if they'll even underwrite the insurance for motorcycles anymore in the state of Missouri. Not a smart thing to ride without protection, even if you feel like you're very safe. Motorcycles are harder to see on a street, and thus more prone to get into accidents because some can't see them (the motorcyclists) until it's too late (and a lot of the cyclists aren't careful either, I see them on the streets of STLMO doing their wheelies all of the time, other antics such as ignoring stop signs, etc.

[pdxflyboy]

3. Yup, the harvest teams will be busy.

[mitch96]

4. I remember here in Fla the anti helmet law people were very vocal..

The ABATE group finally got the law passed that you could ride helmetless if you had at least $10,000 worth of health insurance. The person that lead the charge for ABATE was a lady who was very vocal about it. As her bad luck would have it, a week after the law was repealed she slid the bike and rammed her head into a curb and died...... Karma?
I'm a long time rider and believe in ATGATT...... All the gear all the time...
I'm a wuss though. I hate road rash and bleeds in my brain.. no fun..
m

[JohnnyRingo]

5. I usually rode sans a helmet.

Here in Ohio it's been legal for decades. I quit riding back in the '80s when I realized I wasn't all that good at it. I did wear a helmet in cold weather however, since a hard hat was better than a stocking hat.

On the back I had stenciled "O-neg" in red.