A proposed bill being considered this week would give motorcyclists age 21 and older the option of riding without a helmet.Older motorcyclists would have the option of riding without a helmet under a bill Tennessee lawmakers plan to take up this week.
The legislation, dubbed the "Motorcyclist Liberty Restoration Act," would allow riders 21 and older to ride without a helmet. The bill goes before key House and Senate committees starting today.
Currently, Tennessee is one of 19 states nationwide, including most southern states, that require a helmet for all motorcycle riders. Twenty-eight states require helmets for only younger riders. Iowa, Illinois and New Hampshire have no helmet laws, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
But a group of the state's leading health care providers has lined up in opposition, arguing that relaxing the law will lead to more injuries and deaths and burden taxpayers.
Read more at The Tennessean.