"Legalize" Riding a Bike in Seattle & King County

Petition on Change.org

Bicycle helmet laws decrease the number of people who bike and provide no discernible net public health benefit. Unfortunately, here in Seattle and King County, Title 9 of the Board of Health Code bans riding a bicycle without a helmet.
The King County helmet law was adopted primarily based on a 1989 study that is now discredited by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Given that the primary reason for the law's adoption no longer stands, it's time to repeal the King County law and again legalize riding a bike.
To repeal the helmet law, the Board must hold a public hearing on the helmet law as part of a regularly scheduled meeting, and provide 14-day public notice of the hearing. Following the hearing, the Board can take action immediately.
We urge Rod Dembowski (Board chair), Patty Hayes (Director of Public Health), and the entire Board to repeal Title 9 and legalize riding a bicycle.

Our Thoughts:
The current influx of Bike Share companies like Spin, Ofo and LimeBike make bikes readily available to all. They are very affordable and convenient. They make getting around the city faster, safer and more fun. It puts the police in an awkward position if they give anyone a helmet ticket now, because no one is using helmets with bike share. We were very disappointed when Pronto went under. The overwhelming public health benefit of increased physical activity by our citizens far outweighs the very minor risk of a head injury. Regardless of if you think riding is safe or everyone should wear a helmet, the fact it it isn't practical for bike share to supply them. It would put them out of business. In our opinion bike share is too important to loose.