Understanding Mankato motorcycle helmet laws can help ensure you will avoid getting pulled over and ticketed for failing to wear a helmet. State law requires some, but not all, bikers and passengers to wear helmets.
Wearing a helmet is the safer choice regardless of whether it is required by law. Helmet use dramatically reduces the likelihood of severe traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) and death. As an experienced motorcycle accident attorney could attest, not wearing one can even affect the finding of fault after an accident. Understanding the law can help bikers and passengers ensure they comply with it.
Mankato follows the state’s helmet laws. Minnesota Statutes § 169.974 discusses all of the rules for protective headgear. These laws require helmets for all passengers and drivers under 18 and any motorcycle permit operators without a full motorcycle license. Otherwise, adult bikers may ride a motorcycle without a helmet.
Bikers and riders under 18 may be exempt from the helmet requirement if they are in parades and riding at a certain speed.
While most adults are exempt from the laws in Mankato requiring people to wear motorcycle helmets, riders and passengers should still wear helmets to be safe. Motorcycle riders are more likely to be in an accident, based on miles driven, than other motor vehicle operators. Much of that is due to negligence by other drivers. Fault may make a difference in financial responsibility, but it does not affect the extent of the injuries a person can experience in an accident.
The most significant advantage of a helmet is the reduction in TBIs. People wearing a helmet are only one-third as likely to get a TBI as riders or passengers without a helmet. Even if someone wearing a helmet experiences a TBI, the TBI may be less severe than if they were without a helmet.
Reducing the likelihood or severity of a TBI if it occurs is vital. TBIs are one of the most significant potential adverse outcomes of a motorcycle accident. They can interfere with cognitive function, lead to physical disabilities, impact memory, and more.
Helmets may protect a rider’s face from injuries. Hitting the ground in a motorcycle wreck can lead to massive road rash, broken bones, and soft tissue damage on the face. Helmets may not prevent all of these injuries, but they can help people avoid them.
Helmets can also reduce the risk of severe neck injuries. While necks are still vulnerable when a person is wearing a helmet, the helmet can help prevent strained neck muscles or herniated disks. In some instances, they can even protect people from the type of spinal injuries that can lead to paralysis. This protection is limited since helmets only protect the top few vertebrae, but they do offer some protection.
Most bikers do not have to wear motorcycle helmets, but they may still collect in a personal injury lawsuit even if they were not wearing one at the time of the accident. While the lack of a helmet may contribute to your injuries, if another person caused the accident, they will almost certainly be responsible for some share of your injuries. Contact an attorney to learn more about the relationship between liability for injuries and Mankato motorcycle helmet laws.
