As of March 1, 2023, the state of Tennessee at present has a compulsory helmet regulation in place for motorcyclists. However, that would change for some riders if two state legislators have their means. Two payments have been launched within the Tennessee House and Senate chambers that will, if enacted, exempt sure riders over the age of 21 from any requirement to put on a helmet whereas working a bike.
The two payments—HB 0042, launched by Representative Jay Reedy and SB 1450, launched by Senator Kerry Roberts—at present comprise considerably the identical language. The pair of payments search to create a four-year pilot program that will not require riders aged 21 and older to put on helmets by regulation, so long as they don’t obtain medical health insurance via the state’s Medicaid program, TennCare. As at present written, the invoice would require riders underneath age 21, in addition to riders over the age of 21 who’re insured underneath TennCare, to proceed to put on helmets.
The American Automobile Association, extra generally known as AAA (or ‘triple A’), strongly opposes the payments. “Any attempt to weaken our current law would really open the door for our roads to become a riskier place to drive for motorcyclists,” AAA spokesperson Megan Cooper advised native information station WKRN. “We understand there are opinions. We understand those opinions vary, but I think the biggest thing to keep in mind is that the data shows that motorcyclists wearing helmets — it helps prevent injuries, it helps prevent fatalities,” she stated.
The controversial motorbike helmet payments aren’t the one motorcycle-related laws at present in play within the Tennessee General Assembly. Earlier within the legislative session, state consultant Jeremy Faison launched HB 1454, whereas state Senator Terry Gardenhire launched SB 0298 on the similar time. Both payments would amend present Tennessee state regulation to permit lane filtering underneath sure particular circumstances.
Looking up each of those payments, their summaries identically state that their abstracts fully summarize every invoice (and they’re similar, because the textual content of the helmet pilot program payments is). The summary right here reads, “As introduced, authorizes two-wheeled motorcycles to be operated between rows of stopped or moving vehicles in the same lane on certain limited access highways and interstate highways when the speed of traffic is 25 miles per hour or less.”
The two helmet payments have been initially scheduled to be heard on the House Transportation Subcommittee and Senate Transportation and Safety Subcommittee calendars on March 1, 2023. However, they have been each deferred till March 8, 2023. Coincidentally or not, March 8 can also be the date that the lane filtering legalization invoice is at present scheduled to be heard on the Senate Transportation and Safety Committee, as nicely. While the corresponding lane filtering invoice within the House was assigned to the Transportation Subcommittee there, its standing has not modified since that preliminary project on February 7, 2023, and it isn’t at present listed with any additional motion date that’s within the official public document.
If you’re a Tennessee resident, you might wish to attain out to your state legislators relating to these items of laws.
Source: www.rideapart.com