© 2024 University of Missouri - KBIA
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Motorcycle Helmet Exemptions Stall in Missouri Legislature

Motorcycle with custom Boondocks paint
File Photo
/
KBIA

Motorcyclists in Missouri will have to keep wearing their helmets for another year.

Lawmakers removed a provision today from a bill that would've allowed people older than 21 who have had their motorcycle license for more than two years to leave the helmet at home.

Riders also would've needed to meet certain insurance requirements to ride without protective headgear.

The measure was removed from a bill in committee after passing the House last month.

Supporters of the proposal say it's a matter of personal freedom to decide whether to wear a helmet. But critics argue it's a matter of safety to protect riders.

Similar measures have passed the House for several years but have met opposition in the Senate.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.