According to data available from the Kentucky Department of Transportation, we can see that there are around 122,000 total registered motorcycles across the Commonwealth. Due to the popularity of motorcycles in this Kentucky, legislators have passed various laws intended to increase safety. However, there is no “universal” motorcycle helmet law in Kentucky. Rather, there are certain groups of motorcycle riders that are required to wear a helmet. We can break this down into three groups:
All motorcyclists under the age of 21 must wear a Department of Transportation-approved motorcycle helmet. This includes both the driver and the passenger who may be under 21.
Any person who only has a motorcycle instruction permit must wear a helmet, regardless of their age.
Any person who has had a motorcycle operator’s permit for less than a year must wear a motorcycle helmet.
The penalty for violating Kentucky’s motorcycle helmet laws generally includes fines. Some fines could be as low as $20, but they can also range anywhere from $100 to $500. The motorcycle helmet fines increased based on the number of violations a person receives.
Any motorcyclist in Kentucky who does not fall into one of those three categories is not required to wear a helmet on the roadways throughout the Commonwealth. However, there has been fierce debate over whether or not Kentucky should have a universal motorcycle helmet law. There is no doubt that motorcycle helmets significantly reduced the risk of fatalities and traumatic brain injuries in the event an accident occurs. Even if you do not have to wear a helmet, it is strongly recommended that you do so when you are on a motorcycle. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), helmets reduce motorcyclist fatalities anywhere from 22% to 37%. Additionally, helmets reduce the risk of brain injuries by 44% to 65%. Kentucky used to have a universal helmet law in place, but this law was repealed in 2000. According to the NHTSA, motorcyclist fatalities increased by more than 50% in the state after the repeal of the universal helmet law.