Illinois faces new mandatory helmet law legislation in 2011

On January 28, 2011, Rep. Mary Flowers filed HB 0290 with the Assembly Clerk calling for all riders and passengers of motorcycles to wear helmets.

Rep. Flowers (D-Chicago) represents the 31st Assembly District and is no stranger to such legislation. In fact, she authored similar legislation last year calling for mandatory helmets.  She also sponsored legislation last year that would ban children under 16 years of age from riding or being passengers on ATV's and dirt bikes. That legislation, as well as her helmet bill, failed. It seems Rep. Flowers has a special interest in protecting children and a propensity for creating more laws. But then, that's what lawmakers do, isn't it?  Some argue we have too many laws already and there is logic to that statement. One of Rep. Flowers bills that failed last year was a mandate that school children must wash hands before meals. How would that be enforced and isn't that the job of parents, not government, to teach children to wash their hands?

Anyway, her latest endeavor to protect us from ourselves would require that every operator and passenger of a motorcycle  must wear a helmet which meets the requirements of FMVSS 218. It will be interesting to see how much support this bill will receive. A.B.A.T.E. of Illinois is watching this bill as it has monitored similar legislation in the past. No calls to action have come out yet but the motorcycle community in Illinois as well as across America is watching the progress of this bill. Meanwhile, offers of help have already started to be sent to A.B.A.T.E. of Illinois. Neighboring states have a special interest in legislation of this type and Hupy and Abraham, S.C. has offered to assist in any way it can.  Hopefully, as in the past, A.B.A.T.E. of Illinois can kill this bill before it gathers any momentum.

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