Alaska: Do adults have to wear motorcycle helmets?
Alaska requires helmets for all passengers and for operators who are under 18 or lack a motorcycle license or endorsement.
A state regulation requires everyone on a motorcycle on a public road to wear a helmet, but a statute says licensed or endorsed operators 18 and older cannot be required to. That leaves passengers of any age, operators under 18, and operators on an instruction permit covered. Helmets are not required for off-road riding, and operators must wear eye protection unless the cycle has a windshield.
Conditions
- All passengers must wear a helmet
- Operators under 18 must wear a helmet
- Operators without a motorcycle license or endorsement must wear a helmet
What the law says
Except as otherwise provided by statute, a person operating or riding upon a motorcycle or motor-driven cycle upon a public roadway must wear protective headgear that complies with standards of the United States American National Standard Institute Safety Code Z 90.1 - 1971, United States Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 218 (49 C.F.R. 571.218), or is approved by the Snell Memorial Foundation, Underwriter Laboratories, Factory Mutual, United States Department of Transportation, or a comparable foreign testing authority acceptable to the department. ... A person who is 18 years of age or older may not be required to wear a helmet while operating a motorcycle if the person is the holder of a license or endorsement to operate a motorcycle.
Sources
- 13 AAC 04.350 Mirror of official text · law.cornell.edu
- AS 28.35.245(b) Mirror of official text · codes.findlaw.com
Confirm with the state
- Agency
- Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, Highway Safety Office
- Website
- dot.alaska.gov
How bordering states compare
Alaska doesn't share a land border with another state.