law, any rider 21 years or older who can provide proof of at least $10,000 in health insurance benefits can ride without a helmet. Helmets and protective eyewear are required for all other riders.

According to the

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

, motorcycle accidents were responsible for about 14% of all traffic fatalities in 2019. Since the 1960s, states have passed various motorcycle helmet laws in an attempt to lower these statistics.

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is here to walk you through the ins and outs of Florida’s motorcycle helmet law. We’ll cover the basics of the law, the exceptions you need to know, and the statistics on unhelmeted fatalities in the Sunshine State.

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Do you have to wear a motorcycle helmet in Florida?

If you’re 20 years old or younger or don’t have health insurance, you must wear a motorcycle helmet while riding a

motorcycle

in Florida.

Under the current Florida motorcycle helmet law, riders over the age of 20 can choose whether or not to wear a helmet if they have sufficient

health insurance

Exceptions to Florida’s motorcycle helmet law

On July 1, 2000, then-governor Jeb Bush signed a revision of the universal motorcycle helmet law. Under

Title XXIII, Chapter 316, Section 211 (3)(b)

of the Florida Statutes, anyone 21 years old or older may operate a motorcycle “without wearing protective headgear” if they have health insurance coverage totaling at least $10,000.

Mopeds are another key exception to the Florida motorcycle helmet law. A vehicle is considered a moped, and exempt from the motorcycle helmet law, if it has:

Engine displacement of 50 cc or less

Brake horsepower of 2 or less

Maximum speed of 30 mph

Any moped operator 16 years old or older is exempt from the motorcycle helmet law.

Penalties for breaking Florida’s motorcycle helmet law

In Florida, failure to comply with the motorcycle law is considered a noncriminal nonmoving traffic violation and is subject to up to a $30 fine.

Why it’s important to wear a motorcycle helmet

That $30 fine isn’t the only possible consequence of not wearing a motorcycle helmet in Florida. Let’s take a look at the history of the motorcycle helmet and some recent motorcycle accident statistics to understand the real cost of riding without a helmet.

In 1935, British army officer and diplomat T.E. Lawrence, better known as “Lawrence of Arabia,” died at just 46 years old

as the result of a motorcycle accident

. After this high-profile motorcycle fatality, neurologist Hugh Cairns launched pioneering research on motorcycle helmets to prevent deaths like Lawrence’s.

Today, the NHTSA estimates that motorcycle helmet laws save hundreds of lives a year in the United States. In states without universal helmet laws, as many as 57% of motorcyclists killed on the road are unhelmeted—vs. just 9% in states with universal helmet laws.

Florida is no exception to the statistics. In 2019 alone, unhelmeted riders made up 52% of Florida’s

591 motorcyclist fatalities

. Wearing a motorcycle helmet, even if you are 21 or older and have health insurance, is the best way to avoid becoming a negative statistic.

MORE:

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How to find affordable car and motorcycle insurance

A motorcycle helmet is the best (and easiest!) way to protect yourself on the road. The best—and the easiest—way to protect your bank account from the expenses that come with traffic accidents is by downloading the

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