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Georgia takes a hands-off approach to bicycle helmets. The state’s few requirements are tied to the rider’s age and the type of bicycle being ridden.
Regardless, the legal team at Chattahoochee Injury Law encourages all bicyclists to wear a helmet at all times while cycling. If you are riding in Pooler, you are subject to very limited bicycle helmet laws, but as explained here, besides being a much safer way to ride, wearing a helmet can help you recover greater compensation if a negligent motorist crashes into your bicycle.
The two basic helmet laws that apply to bicyclists in Pooler are:
In both cases, the helmet must meet certain minimum standards for performance and safety. The helmet should also fit properly. Most bicycle shops can determine whether a helmet meets those standards. Alternatively, you can call the bicycle accident lawyers at Chattahoochee Injury Law, who have extensive knowledge and experience with bicycle safety equipment.
Pooler bicyclists who do not follow Georgia’s bicycle helmet laws can receive a misdemeanor citation that carries potential fines, jail time, or community service obligations.
More critically, the State can use the age component of Georgia’s helmet law to bring misdemeanor charges against a parent or guardian who knowingly allows an underage child to ride a bicycle without a helmet. Furthermore, the State can pursue bicycle rental companies that lease or rent bicycles to anyone under the age of 16 without providing a proper helmet.
The most immediate benefit that Pooler bicyclists will realize when they wear a helmet is that helmets substantially reduce the risk of severe head, brain, and neck injuries in the event of a crash that throws the bicyclist onto pavement or another hard surface. Reducing these types of traumatic injuries is often the primary incentive for enacting stronger bicycle helmet laws.
Bicyclists who are hurt in accidents with motor vehicles can sue to recover compensation for their injuries and losses, even if they were not wearing a helmet. Georgia’s comparative negligence laws, however, prohibit recovery if the bicyclist is deemed to have been more than 50 percent at fault for the accident and resulting injuries. Liability insurers are aware of this and often attempt to demonstrate that an injured bicyclist was not exercising reasonable care in traffic.
Georgia’s Law precludes insurers from arguing that the bicyclist’s failure to wear a helmet is evidence of comparative negligence. Regardless, if an injured bicyclist was not wearing a helmet, an insurer may be more likely to look for other evidence of carelessness. In response, an experienced bicycle accident attorney will use the facts and evidence of the accident to place liability squarely on a negligent motorist. That rebuttal will be more effective, and the bicyclist’s opportunity to recover greater damages will be greater, if the bicyclist was wearing a helmet when the accident happened.
The bicycle accident attorneys at Chattahoochee Injury Law are available to answer your questions about Pooler bicycle helmet laws. We tailor our services to help keep bicycling safe and enjoyable in our city.
We also help bicyclists by fighting to get the compensation they need to get back on the bicycles after they are injured in an accident with a negligent motorist. Please call us for a free consultation and learn more about how we can help get the compensation you deserve.
Georgia takes a hands-off approach to bicycle helmets. The state’s few requirements are tied to the rider’s age and the type of bicycle being ridden.
Regardless, the legal team at Chattahoochee Injury Law encourages all bicyclists to wear a helmet at all times while cycling. If you are riding in Pooler, you are subject to very limited bicycle helmet laws, but as explained here, besides being a much safer way to ride, wearing a helmet can help you recover greater compensation if a negligent motorist crashes into your bicycle.
The two basic helmet laws that apply to bicyclists in Pooler are:
In both cases, the helmet must meet certain minimum standards for performance and safety. The helmet should also fit properly. Most bicycle shops can determine whether a helmet meets those standards. Alternatively, you can call the bicycle accident lawyers at Chattahoochee Injury Law, who have extensive knowledge and experience with bicycle safety equipment.
Pooler bicyclists who do not follow Georgia’s bicycle helmet laws can receive a misdemeanor citation that carries potential fines, jail time, or community service obligations.
More critically, the State can use the age component of Georgia’s helmet law to bring misdemeanor charges against a parent or guardian who knowingly allows an underage child to ride a bicycle without a helmet. Furthermore, the State can pursue bicycle rental companies that lease or rent bicycles to anyone under the age of 16 without providing a proper helmet.
The most immediate benefit that Pooler bicyclists will realize when they wear a helmet is that helmets substantially reduce the risk of severe head, brain, and neck injuries in the event of a crash that throws the bicyclist onto pavement or another hard surface. Reducing these types of traumatic injuries is often the primary incentive for enacting stronger bicycle helmet laws.
Bicyclists who are hurt in accidents with motor vehicles can sue to recover compensation for their injuries and losses, even if they were not wearing a helmet. Georgia’s comparative negligence laws, however, prohibit recovery if the bicyclist is deemed to have been more than 50 percent at fault for the accident and resulting injuries. Liability insurers are aware of this and often attempt to demonstrate that an injured bicyclist was not exercising reasonable care in traffic.
Georgia’s Law precludes insurers from arguing that the bicyclist’s failure to wear a helmet is evidence of comparative negligence. Regardless, if an injured bicyclist was not wearing a helmet, an insurer may be more likely to look for other evidence of carelessness. In response, an experienced bicycle accident attorney will use the facts and evidence of the accident to place liability squarely on a negligent motorist. That rebuttal will be more effective, and the bicyclist’s opportunity to recover greater damages will be greater, if the bicyclist was wearing a helmet when the accident happened.
The bicycle accident attorneys at Chattahoochee Injury Law are available to answer your questions about Pooler bicycle helmet laws. We tailor our services to help keep bicycling safe and enjoyable in our city.
We also help bicyclists by fighting to get the compensation they need to get back on the bicycles after they are injured in an accident with a negligent motorist. Please call us for a free consultation and learn more about how we can help get the compensation you deserve.