I was pulled over in Irvine California for not having a DOT approved helmet. After the officer gave me a ticket, he took it for evidence and left me on the side of the road. Luckily a co worker saw me sitting there, it wasn't but maybe a minute, she drove me to the the HD dealership and I bought one. About a month later I had to go to the court house to get a slip to get it out of police storage. The officer said as he was leaving, "if you're feeling lucky, after I leave you can try to ride to the dealership without a helmet." I've got nothing against Police Officers, it's a tough job, but damnit man!!

 

Sometimes I ride with a novelty helmet, but I know I could always get pulled over for it. I would have ridden home and got my real helmet.

 

I see lots of folks making reference to DOT. I know there is a snell standard but what exactly is DOT? I wear a novelty and don't give a hoot but if I get pulled over I will fight the ticket as I am unaware of any specific DOT standard.

 

I got this from http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/inju...ages/page2.htm

DOT Sticker
Helmets that meet FMVSS 218 must have a sticker on the outside back of the helmet with the letters “DOT,” which certifies that the helmet meets or exceeds FMVSS 218. It is important to note that some novelty helmet sellers provide DOT stickers separately for motorcyclists to place on non-complying helmets. In this case, the DOT sticker is invalid and does not certify compliance.

Snell or ANSI Label
In addition to the DOT sticker, labels located inside the helmet showing that a helmet meets the standards of private, non-profit organizations such as Snell or the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) are good indicators that the helmet also meets the Federal safety standard. To date, we have never seen a novelty helmet that has a phony DOT sticker in addition to a phony Snell or ANSI label.

Manufacturer’s Labeling
Manufacturers are required under FMVSS 218 to place a label on or inside the helmet stating the manufacturer’s name, model, size, month and year of manufacture, construction materials, and owner’s information. A helmet that does not meet the Federal safety standard usually does not have such labeling.

Remember a DOT sticker on the back of the helmet and proper inside labeling do not necessarily indicate that a helmet meets all DOT requirements. Many helmets have counterfeit DOT stickers and a limited few also have manufacturer’s labeling. But the design and weight of a helmet, thickness of the inner liner, and the quality of the chin strap and rivets are extra clues to help distinguish safe helmets from non-complying ones.

I will be wearing my novelty with no dot sticker on it when I ride this afternoon...

 

I'm not downing people who likes to wear hard plastic on there head but you'll wish you had a dot helmet when your head hits the blacktop! I say when, not if, because if you ride and you ride a lot there's a 99% chance it will happen to you! I don't no about you but I have a daughter that I want to see hit 30, 40 and maybe even 50 so I wear a dot helmet all the time. I live in MD on the PA line and I could go to PA and ride all day long without a helmet but I don't because I value my life more then that.... Not saying your a bad driver or anything but I see a lot of stupid people in cages do a lot of very stupid things!!

It's your head and life!! Think about it, Do you wanna ride again or go six feet under!!

Just my 2 cents, Naz

 

Just another way to tax you.

 

Aw chit, the helmet ****'s are everywhere.....

 

As a Texas lawman, here's how I conduct business. We have what I like to call a "sort of" helmet law. If you meet certain age and training/insurance requirements you don't have to wear one. My personal opinion is it's your head and if you want or don't want to wear one, it doesn't bother me one way or the other. I've been to several motorcycle wrecks, more than I care to count really, and have seen a few fatalities even when the rider was wearing a full face helmet.

Personally, I choose to wear a helmet, but I sure as hell won't fault someone or write them a ticket if they choose not to. Truth be told, I got many more important things to concern my time with than helmets. Just another opinion, and you know what they say about those.

 

A Lawman that uses common sense and believes in Freedom - You DO exist! Must be a Texas thing!!!

 

First things first - You are PRESUMED innocent until proven guilty. The burden of proof is on the people to prove that you are in violation, not on you to prove that you are NOT in violation.

Second - the DOT sets the standard, it does not conduct a test of each helmet to ensure that they meet the standard. It is up to the manufacturer to conduct the test and label the helmet appropriately.

Third - If you have a helmet that has a DOT sticker on it and it did when you bought it, it is a "legal" helmet. If it has the "novelty" clause inside, it is not.

I got a ticket for a Non-DOT helmet in Murrietta, CA and fought (and won). The DOT sticker was long gone as the helmet was at least ten years old. I explained all of this to the judge - as I explained to you. He asked the Police Officer if he had any proof that the helmet was not DOT approved - he stated "it has no sticker" and acknowledeged that he had no other training in Motorcycle Helmets which would make him an expert on identifying DOT approved helmets - he also didn't know anything about the DOT and helmets, only that I didn't have a sticker.

You can beat the ticket - it's not hard.