History
Ohio is in the process of defining rules for bike safety as of March 2010. The state has ruled that bicycles should be considered vehicles and follow the same rules of the road that cars follow.
Helmet Debate
The debate over a helmet law continues in Ohio. The state does not yet require them as of March 2010, but many cities require helmets for children. Bills have been introduced in the state legislature, but have failed to pass.
Opposition
Those opposed to helmets say they give cyclists a false sense of security and do not help that much in accidents. They prefer safe cycling education to rules requiring helmets.
Child Laws
A total of 23 cities in Ohio have laws requiring helmets for children. Most of them say helmets must be worn for kids 16 and under, and some end the requirement at age 14. Generally people under six years of age are not allowed on the road, so they are not required to have helmets.
Considerations
There are several activist cyclist groups that want more safety, but they are divided on helmets. Most of them want uniformity in the state and across the nation, and they want bicyclists to be treated as vehicles on the roads.
Article Written By James Jordan
James Jordan has been a writer and photographer since 1980. He has worked for newspapers in Arkansas, Tennessee, South Carolina and Kansas, winning state press association awards for writing, photography and page design. In 1995 he received his master's in Christian education and completed two years of Ancient Greek at the graduate level. Jordan holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism.
