To get around that, some vendors — mostly online — affix the U.S. Department of Transportation sticker on the novelty helmets and sell them to riders. The department is proposing a rule to make it harder, if not impossible, to illegally peel off those stickers from compliant helmets and add them to styles officials believe are more dangerous.

The idea has added fuel to the helmet choice debate that began nearly 40 years ago, after many states passed laws requiring all riders to wear helmets. Many riders want to be able to choose if they wear a helmet, or at least which kind they can wear.

"The main thing is to be able to choose," said Dunn, who rode his first motorcycle at age 13 in the early 1960s. "I wear the beanie because you can hear better, see better, it's cooler and it's lighter. It should be up to the individual."

The DOT disagrees and argues that the novelty helmets don't meet safety standards to protect riders in an accident. In fact, such helmets fall short of the standard in every single federal safety test.

"They all failed to meet one or more federal helmet standards from helmet chin straps that broke or they didn't stay on the head," said Eric Bolton, spokesman for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Federal safety officials say if riders or vendors can't transfer the DOT label, then riders would be less likely to wear the noncompliant helmets. The new tamper-proof labels also would be larger and more visible to law enforcement, who can stop riders for illegally wearing the beanies.

"The proposal would make it much more difficult for helmets to be masquerading as DOT-certified helmets," Bolton said. "There have been cases of providers selling the DOT decals on the Internet that people are putting on the non-compliant helmets."

The federal agency has to give people a 60-day period to comment on the ruling before it goes into effect. The deadline is Nov. 30.

Riders may be fined
According to the state Department of Safety, the penalty for not wearing a helmet or being caught with the beanie is a fine of about $136 but can vary slightly from county to county.

Since 1967, Tennessee's universal helmet law has required helmets for all riders. Only 20 states have such a law, while the rest either have no law or target specific age groups.

Most local motorcycle dealers don't sell the novelty helmets. Danny Bost of Bost Harley-Davidson in West Nashville says he doesn't get many requests for them, either.

"I've never used one," Bost said. "If you wear one of the novelty ones you might as well not be wearing one at all. It's the most important piece of safety gear you can wear when riding."

There's no way to know how many in Tennessee wear the novelty helmets, in defiance of the law that requires all riders, including out-of-towners passing through, to wear the approved ones. The state has issued 164,979 motorcycle registrations and more than 290,000 motorcycle driver's licenses.

Dunn said he has only been stopped once, about three years ago, for wearing the novelty helmet. It happened in Maury County.

"I was given a warning and let go," said Dunn, who is a member of the Concerned Motorcyclists of Tennessee, a group that is in favor of relaxing the helmet laws. "I think if you're an adult and have insurance it should be your personal decision."

Motorcycle rights groups have made unsuccessful attempts to repeal the state helmet law.

Tom Quaranto, state director of Concerned Motorcyclists of Tennessee, said he doesn't believe helmets really make a difference in a crash. He nearly died in a 2003 accident after he broke 20 bones in his body, all below the neckline.

"I don't feel any safer with a helmet on, but I know people who do," Quaranto said. "This rule probably won't make a difference. The bottom line is, people should have a choice."

Contact Christina E. Sanchez at 615-726-5961 or cesanchez@tennessean.com.

 

You can buy DOT helmet stickers on line for $1, for your not so legal helmets.
Google search; helmet stickers...... Right or wrong? It may keep you from getting a ticket, but not a busted skull.

 

A short story

Last year my boss was going to run his cousins bike out to the HD shop for some work. (Remember the cousin part) About 5 min after he left he calls me to come up KFC. I ask what for and he says just get up here. I think the worst and hurry up there only to find him leaning on a THP squad car's hood. I pulled up and got out only to find out the officer made a U turn on the 4 lane to pull him over for an illegal helmet. Now he gets a ticket for no helmet, no registration, no proof of insurance,(these 2 because of it being a Fat Boy and cousin keeps this stuff in his wallet not on the bike) and no motorcycle license. Now for the funny part, I ask the officer if I can take the bike on as it is about to rain. He says sure go ahead. I tell him I did not bring a helmet with me and he says"you can use his". The same one he is getting the ticket for! The guys at the shop got a horse laugh out of this.

I do wear a Bell DOT approved now but have gone through at least 4 road blocks with a non DOT helmet on with out one word being said.

I think it depends on the trooper and your attitude.

 

I don't think even legal DOT helmet will keep you from getting a busted skull at freeway speeds.

 

AAaaHHhh, Dayton, Ohio. I have been in The Silver Slipper on 5th St.
Bullet holes in the ceiling and walls. Pretty cool place.

 

Yes know of it well. That used to be Larry Flint (owner of Hustler Magazine) place back in the early 50's and well into the 60's. I remember my older bothers and father used to tell me that part of 5th Street was really ruff back then.

 

Yes I remember when I was up there 5th St was a tuff place to be. I was up there workin for a Co. from out of state. We worked till late and wouldn't go in there till like 11 o'clock at night. Plenty of action!

 

If yer gonna wear a helmet, wear DOT. Pretty simple.

 

Why stop at DOT standards? If you really want the best safety , wear a snell approved one , and make sure it's no older than 5 years old.
Then again on my Ultra , when damn cold I've tried full face and get an unreal head shake ..... sure as hell not safe.Then there's the little matter of highway speed accident , intown and impacting a hard object (power pole,bulding , even a damn newspaper box) body blows may likely do you in or well enough you wish you didn't make it thru. Lets see mangaled body and well preserved head for a funeral. I'd rather just be scraped up , ID'ed and sent to the creamatory.

 

Some LEO's have nothing better to do? That doesn't happen around here. Too much hard crime, they don't sweat the little ****.