Here in Texas, helmet use is optional for riders 21+. I do have some concerns about wearing a helmet while belted since the helmet can induce a lot of torque on your neck. NASCAR now requires drivers to wear a head-neck restraint to minimize damage to the head and neck in a crash. They learned the hard way and I'd prefer to not be the case that generates a lawsuit for damage caused by wearing a helmet while belted.
Thought I'd pass this on (helmet argument)
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it’s a conspiracy...
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Not in South Carolina
Not in Arizona, either. They can pull you over in Arizona for no other reason than not wearing your seat belt and ticket you for it.
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Here in California there is not much ambiguity in the law - the Slingshot is legally classified as a motorcycle and when on or in a motorcycle riders/occupants are required to wear a helmet - - there is an exception for a "fully enclosed" three wheeled motorcycle, but what qualifies as "fully enclosed" is left up to the interpretation of the judge.
I have a friend who has a slingshot with a top he made himself that is metal and encloses more than just about any other top I have seen - and despite this and documentation of the "fully enclosed" section of the law in his glovebox that he showed to the officer who pulled him over he was still given a ticket - - he did fight it and did win, but it took him 2 days off work to go to court (one to enter a not guilt plea and the second for the hearing) I suspect it cost him more to fight it in lost pay and time then it would have to simply have paid it
for me its just not worth the trouble - so much easier just to use a small 1/2 helmet than to argue with police or go to court
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My wife and I live in Washington, a non-helmet state. I know some have been cited by the State Patrol here but I have been stopped by WSP and not cited with no helmet so I consider it non-helmet. We went riding with 3 other Slings last week in Oregon, a helmet state. When we got to the meeting point I was surprised that my wife and I were the only ones of the 4 couples wearing helmets. We automatically wear them when riding together because the comm sets allow us to talk easily and normally. The Oregon folk all said that they have passed LE many times without incident so they don't feel at risk of a stop. My opinion on this is that your experience, and LEO's practices don't change the law. If it is written that a helmet is required, ambiguous or not, and you don't wear one, you can be cited. Don't be surprised because the last 50 lazy officers didn't dick with you and this one did. You may become a victim of the last jerk-off the officer encountered. Everyone has bad days, sad days, mad days and plain ol' I don't like the way you look days. And you can't become invisible in a Slingshot!
When did the ankle bracelet come off? Is the home detention over?
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oh - almost forgot, in California motorcycles are 100% exempt from the mandatory seatbelt laws so if you are worried about the risk of a helmet with a seatbelt you are free not to wear the seatbelt
I actually added a simply lap belt to my slingshot that I use instead of the factory belt because when its 110 degrees out that strap across the chest gets very uncomfortable - - I carry a printout of the law in my glove box where it specifically says that motorcycles are exempt and I have asked some LEO friends who have told me they would never ticket anyone in a slingshot for a seatbelt violation - -said its legally a motorcycle and the exemption applies
here is the first part of the CA seatbelt law: look at the third paragraph (c)
f
7315.
(a) The Legislature finds that a mandatory seatbelt law will contribute to reducing highway deaths and injuries by encouraging greater usage of existing manual seatbelts, that automatic crash protection systems that require no action by vehicle occupants offer the best hope of reducing deaths and injuries, and that encouraging the use of manual safety belts is only a partial remedy for addressing this major cause of death and injury. The Legislature declares that the enactment of this section is intended to be compatible with support for federal motor vehicle safety standards requiring automatic crash protection systems and should not be used in any manner to rescind federal requirements for installation of automatic restraints in new cars.
(b) This section shall be known and may be cited as the Motor Vehicle Safety Act.
(c) (1) As used in this section, “motor vehicle” means a passenger vehicle, a motortruck, or a truck tractor, but does not include a motorcycle.
(2) For purposes of this section, a “motor vehicle” also means a farm labor vehicle, regardless of the date of certification under Section 31401.
(d) (1) A person shall not operate a motor vehicle on a highway unless that person and all passengers 16 years of age or over are properly restrained by a safety belt. This paragraph does not apply to the operator of a taxicab, as defined in Section 27908, when the taxicab is driven on a city street and is engaged in the transportation of a fare-paying passenger. The safety belt requirement established by this paragraph is the minimum safety standard applicable to employees being transported in a motor vehicle. This paragraph does not preempt more stringent or restrictive standards imposed by the Labor Code or another state or federal regulation regarding the transportation of employees in a motor vehicle.
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Helmets oh well, going to go off the rails a little further here. California tells me when to water my lawn what kind of lightbulb I can screw in, how much water I’m allowed to have in my toilet and I have to check with the local agencies to find out if I can light anything in my fireplace.
I believe that as long as you have enough insurance to clean up your own mess you should be able to wear or not wear at your discretion.
not sure how much property damage a flying head can cause but I would imagine it’s pretty much a personal thing when it comes to damage. We all know that freedom ship sailed long ago.
all the LEO’s that have stopped me for not wearing a helmet have been very gracious and let us go. We have skid plates now and call it good -
Helmets oh well, going to go off the rails a little further here. California tells me when to water my lawn what kind of lightbulb I can screw in, how much water I’m allowed to have in my toilet and I have to check with the local agencies to find out if I can light anything in my fireplace.
I believe that as long as you have enough insurance to clean up your own mess you should be able to wear or not wear at your discretion.A-men Brother
But it looks like it will only be getting worse and that is only based on what they say they are going to do!
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MACAWS OOOOOOWWEEEEE Don’t get me started! I’m all comfortable on the couch, my dogs of already licked my plate clean and I could jump in with both feet right now...
Yepper - better we chill!
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The Mrs. and I are headed to Sedona, Grand Canyon, Lake Havasu and whatever happens in between for Memorial Day. Going to stick my nose in the maps instead of this slippery slope😎
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The Mrs. and I are headed to Sedona, Grand Canyon, Lake Havasu and whatever happens in between for Memorial Day. Going to stick my nose in the maps instead of this slippery slope😎
Just keep posting your adventure photo's
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Unfortunately, too many people do things w/o the insurance (health or property) to remedy things when they go wrong.
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California tells me what kind of lightbulb I can screw in
Damn!
How big are your light bulbs?!?
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When did the ankle bracelet come off? Is the home detention over?
I got wings!
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When I was in the US Army, most States had a BAC limit of .1 and I carried a chart that showed drinker's weight versus how many shots were consumed that calculated how long until the drinker was sober enough to drive. Never failed me.
