Seattle drops bike helmet law because cops unfairly targeted people of color and homeless people: Black cyclists were four times as likely to .....

FOR DAILYMAIL.COM ^ | 20 February 2022 | ANDREA CAVALLIER

[dennisw]

Seattle drops bike helmet law because cops unfairly targeted people of color and homeless people: Black cyclists were four times as likely to be stopped as whites The King County Board of Health voted Thursday to repeal its decades-old mandatory helmet rule Data showed the rule was rarely enforced, but enforced disproportionately

Since 2017, Seattle police had given 117 helmet citations, more than 40 percent of which went to people who were homeless Since 2019, 60 percent of citations went to people who were homeless Central Seattle Greenways found that black cyclists were almost four times as likely to receive a citation for violating the helmet rule as white cyclists

Seattle is the largest city in the country to enforce a bike helmet requirement

King County Councilmember Joe McDermott said there are other ways of encouraging helmet use that do not rely on law enforcement, including educational campaigns and free helmet distribution The King County Council recently budgeted more than $200,000 to buy helmets and expand education programs The repeal affects most of King County, including Seattle However, 17 cities in the county, have their own laws mandating helmet use

[the OlLine Rebel]

And has long been applied to gambling.

Though drinking and gambling and scrEwing around are habits that occur regularly on purpose.

Accidents are accidents, pure and simple. Theyre not purposeful so not likely to happen. It’s about time we start accepting accidents happen.

If they were really concerned about safety and those domino-effect problems, they’d ban motorcycles altogether, e.g. and not allow a stinking 20mph stick frame on the road with 2000lb 80mph boxes.

[the OlLine Rebel]

Homeless didn’t have helmets because they can’t afford them.

Duh!

[Kevmo]

You see it. I see it. But somehow the City Leaders didn't see it nor did the cops writing the tickets.

[mcshot]

It’s not like they can’t steal a helmet when they steal the bike.

[Skywise]

Cool! Now drop gun control laws because they unfairly target black people!

[Ancesthntr]

Good, let them crack their skulls open. Darwin at work, improving society.

[Ancesthntr]

Good, let them crack their skulls open. Darwin at work, improving society.

[the OlLine Rebel]

[unread]

"Since blacks are more likely to murder blacks, perhaps the laws against murder should be erased in the name of equity?!"

You have a good point.. Perhaps, like needles and crack pipes, ammo should be provided as well...

[the OlLine Rebel]

This helmet culture is pathetic.

Even in this insane safety-NAZI society, you will almost never find a bike sitting somewhere in public, casually tossed on the side, with a helmet attached.

So yes, they could do so, but usually that would be stealing from a deadly serious “cyclist” (why are bicycles riders “cyclists” but motorcycles “bikers”?) spandex highway-rider who thinks his bike is the equal of a car. They’re about the only ones that MIGHT have a helmet on their “parked” bike - but then, they wear them on their heads almost constantly.

[Kevmo]

👍