After almost 30 years, King County’s helmet law is repealed
Since it isn’t enforced equitably, the King County helmet law is being scrapped. That’s how the county health board, chaired by local County Councilmember Joe McDermott, voted today. Here’s the announcement:
The King County Board of Health on Thursday voted 11-2 to repeal the County’s helmet law after research had shown racist and discriminatory enforcement of this law that disproportionately targeted people of color and people experiencing homelessness. The Board also approved a resolution emphasizing the importance of helmet use for bikes, scooters and other similar vehicles.
“Everyone should wear a helmet while riding. But enforcement of the helmet law has harmed BIPOC riders and riders experiencing homelessness who are bearing the brunt of disproportionate enforcement, citations, and fees,” said Board Chair Joe McDermott. “We can and will improve safety and eliminate disparate enforcement of this law at the same time by making helmets easier to get, through public education on their use, and encouraging other safe practices without relying on law enforcement. This work responds directly to our declaration in 2020 that racism is a public health crisis and commitment to support policies that address racism.”
The Board began looking into the issue after media reports in 2020 indicated that a disproportionate number of citations were being issued to people of color and people experiencing homelessness. Further research confirmed this data. For instance, Black cyclists were 3.8 times more likely to be issued a helmet citation and, since 2019, 60% of citations for helmets have gone to people experiencing homelessness.
In January, the Seattle Police Department de-prioritized enforcement of bicycle helmet laws along with several other traffic infractions.
“Our priority as a Board is to promote health and safety for everyone – and that includes promoting the importance of wearing helmets as a proven public health intervention,” said Seattle City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda. “We can promote and facilitate the use of helmets – and remove helmet laws from statute that bring discriminatory enforcement. In fact, we are compelled to repeal this law given the statistics that show clear discriminatory enforcement which harms Black and brown communities and perpetuates racism. Helmet laws that bring discriminatory enforcement clearly demonstrate that a law is not the right approach. Funding helmet distribution programs, bicycle safety programs, and community education efforts are more effective forms of ensuring the safety of all cyclists.”
The Board will work to ensure helmets are accessible for all riders throughout the county and continue to promote their use to reduce the risk of injury. The King County Council allocated $221,000 in the supplemental budget passed in November 2021 to distribute helmets, focused on providing them to unhoused individuals and individuals who historically have been disproportionately impacted by inequities and discrimination.
“As a cyclist, I know the many health, social and environmental benefits of biking,” said Dr. Jeff Duchin, Health Officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County. “As a former ER doctor who has treated people with preventable head injuries, I also know the importance of wearing a bike helmet. And as Health Officer, I appreciate that community partners have highlighted the negative impacts of discriminatory enforcement of the helmet law. The bottom line is that Public Health continues to strongly recommend and encourage helmet use, especially by children.”
The bicycle helmet law was first passed in 1993, and led to extensive public education about safe cycling, which reduced the number of injuries due to bicycle crashes. Thursday’s vote will remove the helmet use requirement from King County’s Board of Health code, ending citations for failure to wear a helmet.
This does NOT repeal the motorcycle-helmet law, which is a state law.
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