The Legislature needs to do something to protect tourists, even though visitors probably aren’t going to like it.
It’s time to make it a requirement to wear a helmet on a motor scooter in Nevada.
Here’s the current helmet law, as posted on dmvnv.com, the state’s official Department of Motor Vehicles website: “Motorcyclists and passengers in Nevada are required to wear helmets that meet standards set by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The only exception is for mopeds 50 cc or under, with less than 2 horsepower and capable of no more than 30 mph.”
This is insane. If anything, the helmet requirement should apply more to scooter riders than those on motorcycles, at least in Las Vegas. Why? Let’s count the reasons:
• Traffic moves fast on Las Vegas streets. The speed limit is 45 mph on many surface roads, and a good many drivers tack on an extra 5 to 10 mph. Being on a vehicle that moves only 30 mph is dangerous in those conditions.
• The streets are congested, especially the Strip and the roads around it.
• Many motorists on those streets either are from out of town or drunk or both, and as such, are unpredictable.
• Most motorcycles are powerful enough to allow riders to accelerate away from dangerous situations. Motor scooters aren’t. Motorcycles also are larger than motor scooters, increasing the likelihood that motorists will see them.
About the only argument that supports the discrepancy in helmet laws is that scooters aren’t as fast as motorcycles and that head injuries suffered at lower speeds might be less severe than those at higher speeds.
Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, the thought of hitting your head on a utility pole or a curb at 30 mph isn’t pretty.
So come on, lawmakers, clear up this weird discrepancy. Granted, tourists won’t want to wear helmets. Part of the reason for renting a scooter is there’s a carefree nature to riding one. They’re popular in tourist spots for that reason.
But it’s one thing to tool around on a scooter in an ocean community, where life is laid back and traffic generally moves slowly. We live fast in Las Vegas, sometimes to the point of recklessness.
Scooters and Vegas traffic are a bad combination. Scooters, helmetless riders and Vegas traffic are a suicidal one.
Adopting a helmet law might not be popular with tourists, but it sends a strong message that we care about those who come to our community — and would like to see them keep coming back, year after year.