MYNORTHWEST BLOG

King County bike helmet law is unevenly enforced

Aug 16, 2017, 11:00 AM | Updated: 11:25 am

A bike share customer on the road in Seattle. (MyNorthwest) A Seattle bike share customer riding without a helmet. (Stephanie Klein, MyNorthwest) The number of bike helmet citations in Seattle has dropped dramatically since 2011. (MyNorthwest) Bike helmet violations in Kent and Renton between 2015 and August 2017. (MyNorthwest) Tickets for bike helmet violations in King County from 2015 to August 2017. (MyNorthwest) A bike share customer on the road in Seattle. (MyNorthwest) The Shaw Go bike share operates in Vancouver B.C. (Dyer Oxley, MyNorthwest) The Shaw Go bike share operates in Vancouver B.C. (Dyer Oxley, MyNorthwest)

With so many people trying Seattle’s new bike share rides, a question emerges: Where are the bike helmets?

RELATED: Someone is going to get hurt on a bike share ride

Cyclists of all ages have been required to wear bike helmets since 2003 in King County. But it’s unlikely that riders in Seattle will be ticketed for failing to wear them.

According to a statement from the Seattle Police Department, police do not currently favor enforcement:

Our department enforces a number of road and traffic safety regulations, with an emphasis on education over enforcement. Officers always have the discretion to write a citation or explain the laws and importance of road safety and provide a warning.

That doesn’t mean a Seattle police officer won’t write a ticket. Like SPD says, cops have discretion and they do issue citations. But looking at the number of tickets that SPD has issued in the past few years, there is a considerable downward trend; going from 607 tickets in 2011 to just 41 in 2016. The city is on track to issue even less in 2017.

seattle bike helmet tickets

The number of bike helmet citations in Seattle has dropped dramatically since 2011. (MyNorthwest)

Some cycling advocates promote that King County’s helmet law should go away; that it should not be required so bike shares can more easily operate. Still, the bike share apps will remind you of the law when you use them. Limebike has even run a special helmet giveaway. Seattle’s failed bike share program, Pronto, provided helmets. As does the Shaw Go bike share in Vancouver B.C.

It seems, however, that bike share customers have coasted into a time when it is less likely to get a ticket for not wearing a helmet. While the option is there for police, the numbers show it has become less common.

Tickets for bike helmets in other cities

I asked other major King County cities how many tickets they’ve issued for bike helmet violations over the past couple of years.

Issaquah and Redmond had no records of any citations. Mercer Island had no tickets going back to 2007. Bothell, which straddles King and Snohomish counties, doesn’t even enforce the county’s helmet law, according to a City of Bothell representative.

Bellevue, Kent, and Renton, however, have issued tickets in recent years. Kent has issued far more bike helmet tickets than any other city in King County — outside of Seattle — since 2015. Even more than the King County Sheriff’s Office.

Bike helmet violations in Bellevue, Kent and Renton between 2015 and August 2017. (MyNorthwest)

Bike helmet violations in Bellevue, Kent and Renton between 2015 and August 2017. (MyNorthwest)

King County deputies not only patrol the county but also provide police services to a variety of cities such as Shoreline or Maple Valley. The number of tickets issued for bike helmet violations over the past couple years is pretty even, though spread across various cities. Tickets for bike helmet violations have been issued more steadily in Maple Valley, Kenmore, and greater King County.

King County bike helmet violations between 2015 and August 2017. (MyNorthwest)

King County bike helmet violations between 2015 and August 2017. (MyNorthwest)

MyNorthwest Blog

satellites, night sky...

Bill Kaczaraba

Opinion: With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world

American author Max Ehrmann wrote a poem in 1921. It was distributed in a Christmas card in 1933,

3 months ago

Gingerbread House...

MyNorthwest Staff

KIRO Newsradio wins Bonneville Gingerbread House competition

In a tradition unlike any other, the second annual Bonneville Seattle Gingerbread House competition was fierce between multiple departments.

3 months ago

recount election king...

Bill Kaczaraba

Kaczaraba: It took an election for me to figure out I don’t live in Edmonds

I was excited to get to vote on Edmonds mayor because I had been seeing signs all over the neighborhood. But it was not to be.

5 months ago

All-Star Game T-Mobile Park...

Bill Kaczaraba

Kaczaraba: MLB All-Star Game a picture perfect day for Seattle

What we witnessed this week was a spectacular Seattle. Homeless encampments were gone. Sidewalks were power-washed. There were even baskets with flowers hanging.

9 months ago

summer solstice...

Bill Kaczaraba

Kaczaraba: Summer solstice brings season of concerts, hikes

The summer solstice has come and gone, ushering in everyone's favorite season across the Pacific Northwest.

9 months ago

Seattle Sonics...

Bill Kaczaraba

Could Seattle Sonics 2.0 be on the horizon?

With the NBA Finals in full swing, league Commissioner Adam Silver is talking about a possible revival of the Seattle Sonics.

10 months ago

King County bike helmet law is unevenly enforced