South Carolina Considers Mandating Motorcycle Helmets for all Riders

State lawmakers in South Carolina are considering modifying a 30-year old law so that all motorcycle riders in the state must wear helmets.

South Carolina State Senator Ralph Anderson (D-Greenville) is sponsoring a bill that would require all motorcyclists in the state wear protective headgear. Under current state law, only riders under the age of 21 are required to wear helmets.

All motorcycle riders in the states were required to wear helmets from 1967 to 1980, when the state limited the requirement to younger riders. The City of Myrtle Beach tried to enact a local ordinance expanding the helmet law only to see it struck down by the state Supreme Court.

The South Carolina Department of Public Safety Traffic Collision Fact Book that more than 100 motorcyclists in the state lose their lives annually due to motorcycle accidents.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 20 states, along with the District of Columbia, require all motorcyclists to wear helmets. Twenty-seven states require some riders to wear helmets while Illinois, Iowa, and New Hampshire have no motorcycle helmet laws.