§ 8-205. Helmets

(a) A person, firm or corporation engaged in the business of renting bicycles shall provide protective bicycle helmets as defined by subsection (b) of this section, to any person who will operate the bicycle, or who will be a passenger on a bicycle, if such person does not have a helmet in his or her possession.

(b) For purposes of this section, an "approved protective helmet" is defined as follows: The helmet shall fit the person's head and shall be secured to the person's head by straps. The helmet shall meet the standards for helmets established by the Snell Memorial Foundation's 1984 standard for use in bicycling or subsequent standards; standards established by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) or subsequent standards; or standards established by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) or subsequent standards. In no event shall failure to wear a helmet be considered as contributory or comparative negligence, nor shall the failure to wear a helmet be admissible as evidence in the trial of any civil action.

(c) A violation of this section shall carry a penalty of $50.00 for the first offense and $100.00 for each subsequent offense.

(Ord. of 5-21-1997(2); Ord. of 9-19-2007, § 8-205)

refstatelaw

Helmet requirement, G.L. 1956, § 31-19-2.1.