Colo. passes seat belt,motorcycle helmet bills

The Colorado House has passed a bill that would require children under age 18 to wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle. Passing on a 39-26 vote, House Bill 1117 would create penalties of $100 if the operator is under 18 and fails to wear a helmet, and $15 if the under age person not wearing a helmet is a passenger. An additional $10 surcharge for each violation would go to the Colorado traumatic brain injury trust fund.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that helmets saved 1,316 motorcyclists’ lives in 2004, and that 670 more could have been saved if all motorcyclists had worn helmets. Per vehicle mile, motorcyclists are about 32 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a traffic crash, NHTSA indicated.

In a separate action, the Senate passed Bill 151 that would make it an offense for a driver, any small children and all front seat passengers not to wear a seat belt. Violators could be charged up to $35 dollars if the bill becomes law.

The general assembly predicts that the seat belt law would save between 30 and 70 lives per year, and reduce the seriousness of injuries sustained in vehicle accidents from not wearing a seat belt. The law also could amount to $72.5 million in avoided Medicaid costs during the next 10 years because of reduced accidents and injuries, according to the bill’s sponsors.

However, Sen. Greg Brohy, R-Wray, argued that the bill was nothing more than another excuse for police to needlessly harass citizens. “Adding another potential abuse of stops for basically no reason isn’t something that we need to do,” he was quoted in a Senate News press release as saying.

Both measures must pass the other chambers before becoming law.

Topics Auto Colorado