Bicycle Helmet Regulations in the USA and Abroad

Texas-based psychology student Kelly Dillard is a dancer and regular beauty pageant contestant, having appeared in a large number of Texas pageant events. Kelly Dillard is an enthusiastic advocate for physical fitness and helmet-safety standards, using her pageant platform to raise awareness and support these causes.

A photograph of President Obama wearing a bicycle helmet while riding on his 2013 family summer vacation in Martha’s Vineyard circulated around the Internet and caused some comment and speculation about bicycle helmet standards in the United States. While there is no federal law governing mandatory use of bicycle helmets, children are required to wear helmets in 21 American states according to varying local legislation.

In some countries, bicycle helmet standards are much more rigorous. For example, in Australia, helmets have been mandatory for riders of all ages since 1989. Some Canadian provinces also enforce the mandatory wearing of helmets. In Mexico City, mandatory helmet laws were repealed in 2010, and in South Africa, the practice is compulsory according to the law but not officially enforced. Countries that do not have any legislation governing the wearing of bicycle helmets regardless of age include France, Germany, India, Poland, and The Netherlands.