Since 2009, Keep NJ Safe has been tirelessly advocating for crime victims and working with state legislators to enact reforms that help protect our community and improve overall public safety.

The following bills have been filed with the NJ Legislature, and their passage is supported by Keep NJ Safe:


A4894 /S3494 Requires adults to wear a protective helmet while operating a bicycle, scooter, or motorized scooter.

Why Do We Support This Legislation?
Helmets are currently required for bike riders under the age of 17, but not for adults, even though the risk of hospitalization and death from a head injury increases with age. Helmets have been proven to effectively prevent serious head injury, and with bicycle use at an all-time high, this legislation is needed more than ever.
Unfortunately, helmet safety laws have not kept pace with the significantly increased risks specifically associated with adults who cycle or use electric scooters. Consider the following:
•    Bike and Electric Scooter usage by adults skyrocketed during the pandemic, due to gyms and fitness centers being closed, and short-distance commuters seeking to avoid the risks of public transportation.
•    According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the number of Emergency Room visits for adult bicyclists ages 40 and above increased 21% in 2020; injuries from scooters also rose significantly.
•    According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), bicycle related deaths have increased, primarily among adults.
•    Most electric scooters can reach speeds of 30mph, and there are electric scooters marketed to adults that can reach speeds of more than 80mph.
•    Head injury is by far the greatest risk posed to bicyclists, comprising one‐third of emergency department visits, two‐thirds of hospital admissions, and three‐fourths of deaths.
•    Helmets provide a 63 to 88% reduction in the risk of head, brain and severe brain injury for all ages of bicyclists.
•    Helmets provide equal levels of protection for crashes involving motor vehicles (69%) and crashes from all other causes (68%). Injuries to the upper and mid facial areas are reduced 65%.
•    Policies requiring bike helmets have been associated with long-term, sustained bike helmet use, and a 20%-55% reduction in head injuries.
•    According to the CDC, the older a person is, the greater their risk of hospitalization and death from a Traumatic Brain Injury.
•    A meta-analysis of bicycle helmet efficacy estimated that bicycle helmets reduce the risk of head injury by 60% and brain injury by 58%.
•    People who take blood thinners—primarily adults—are at an increased risk of death from TBI due to brain bleeds.The bill does make allowances for municipalities in New Jersey to pass ordinances allowing exemptions from the helmet requirement under certain circumstances (such as “pedestrian plazas” that are closed to motor vehicles but allow bicycles & scooters, boardwalks or paths that have barriers sufficient to prevent the bike rider from entering an adjacent roadway, etc.).

One obstacle that is often mentioned regarding helmets is that they can be cumbersome to carry and store once a cyclist reaches their destination. It just so happens there is a NJ-based company that has invented an ingenious solution: an inflatable bike helmet that meets or exceeds all helmet safety standards, but folds up into a pouch when not in use: https://www.airnoggin.com/ 

 

*KeepNJSafe is not affiliated with AirNoggin; the link above is provided for educational purposes only and is not sponsored.


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