Modern-day passenger cars are equipped with seatbelts, airbags, and various other safety devices with the sole purpose of protecting occupants from injury during high-speed collisions. By comparison, bicyclists have nothing but their own diligence to keep them safe while riding—and sometimes that is not enough to prevent someone else’s negligence from causing a life-altering crash.
Any experienced bicycle accident attorney will tell you that wearing a properly sized and secured safety helmet is one of the simplest and most effective actions you can take to reduce your risk of serious injury from a bike wreck, regardless of how the crash occurred or who is at fault for it. However, many people understandably think otherwise based on Southfield bicycle helmet laws—or rather, the lack of such laws.
What Does the Law Say About Bike Helmets?
Currently, no state in the country requires adult bicyclists of any age or experience level to wear helmets while riding, but a significant portion of states do require helmets for riders under the age of 18 who are operating their own bicycles or riding as a passenger on an adult’s bicycle. Michigan, though, is not one of the latter states, meaning there are no bicycle helmet laws applicable to riders in Southfield.
The only helmet laws that do exist in Michigan require the use of helmets by people under the age of 18 who are operating electric scooters or class 3 e-bikes, under 19 who are operating mopeds, and under 21 who are operating or riding as passengers on motorcycles.
The Importance of Wearing a Helmet While Riding
Regardless of what Michigan law says, the case for wearing a bike helmet while riding in Southfield can be compellingly made through raw statistical data. Hundreds of people die—and hundreds of thousands more suffer serious injuries—from bike wrecks every year in the United States. Wearing a safety helmet can reduce your risk of life-threatening brain trauma from this type of accident.
Furthermore, failing to wear a helmet and then suffering a head injury that likely could have been prevented by wearing a helmet could be held against you as comparative fault during an ensuing lawsuit or settlement demand. As our lawyers could further explain, any percentage of fault assigned to you by a court for causing or worsening your injuries through your own negligence will result in your final damage award being reduced by that same percentage. Being found 51 percent or more at fault for your own injuries disqualifies you from obtaining any amount of civil restitution.
Contact Our Southfield Attorneys To Learn More About Bicycle Helmet Requirements
The fact that Southfield bicycle helmet laws do not exist does not mean that wearing a helmet is not extremely important to staying safe while riding. Unfortunately, even wearing appropriate safety gear cannot always prevent you from getting seriously hurt in an accident that was not your fault.
Our lawyers at Thurswell Law could help you understand your legal options and determine whether you have a case. Call today to learn more about how our experience gets results.
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