New helmet laws good for business
Posted June 3, 2012 11:37 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – New helmet requirements for BC motorcyclists are proving good for business.
As of this weekend, if you want to ride a motorbike in BC you need to be wearing a certified helmet. In preparation for the new laws, stores around Vancouver have been outfitting plenty of bikers with new lids.
Skid lids, skull caps or beanies that don’t meet helmet safety industry standards are now illegal.
Jennifer Glatt with Trev Deeley Motorcycles says their helmet sales doubled in May of this year, compared to the same month in 2011. She adds a lot of people have been coming to them looking to make sure they comply, although finding the right fit is not always easy.
“It’s just a really hard thing to transition to a DOT helmet from wearing a beanie because of the size, the weight and the look,” believes Glatt. “If you’ve been wearing something for 40 years, no matter what it is and you have to change it, it’s a challenge.”
She feels it’s about finding a helmet that is right for the rider.
“We are mostly trying to work with people to get a helmet they are comfortable with and that is going to fit them properly because that’s really what’s it about.”
In addition to the helmet changes, you now have to have your feet reach the footrests to ride. That means smaller children unable to reach the pegs or floorboards will be prohibited from riding.
The province says motorcycle fatalities increased by about 57 per cent between 1996 and 2010. The main factors contributing to motorcycle crashes are speed, inattentiveness and failure to yield to right-of-way of motorcyclists.
Fines for all new helmet-related offences are $138 and for seating requirements from $109 to $121.
