Bicycle helmet laws in Oregon to expand?

Bicyclists in Portland, Oregon, are an adamantly vocal and independent bunch, and an article in the July 31, 2008, edition of the Oregonian may just give bicyclists another issue in which to pour their energy. Oregon state senator Floyd Prozanski of Eugene hopes to expand Oregon’s current bicycle helmet law to include all bicycle riders. The existing law, ORS 815.485, affects only riders under the age of 16. Prozanski, who considers himself a bicycling advocate, believes helmets are a public safety issue and that a mandatory helmet law would go a long way in ensuring the safety of citizens. The Bicycle Transportation Alliance, the largest bicycle advocacy group in the state, has not supported mandatory helmet laws. For additional information on this increasingly heated issue, see this post from the BikePortland blog. Weigh in with your opinions. Do you think a mandatory helmet law is a good idea for Oregonians? Do you wear a bicycle helmet? As a driver, how do you feel about bicyclists who don’t wear helmets?

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 31st, 2008 at 2:54 pm and is filed under Legal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.