Buying a motorcycle? As of now, a Delaware law says new riders will have to wear a helmet

As of Sept. 1, all new motorcyclists in Delaware will be required to wear a helmet, lawmakers announced Friday.

“We know helmets save lives and prevent serious head injuries. We know a quarter of all motorcycle accidents that occurred last year involved a newly endorsed rider,” Secretary of Transportation Nicole Majeski wrote in a statement.

“By requiring this group to take extra precautions and wear a helmet we’re able to help keep Delawareans safer,” she continued.

Delaware law already required all motorcycle operators and passengers to have a helmet in their possession. All riders on motorcycles must also wear eye protection.

But in a perhaps unusual stipulation, only riders age 19 and under, and those with temporary instruction permits, were previously required to actually wear the helmet. A previous attempt to require motorcycle helmets in Delaware stalled in committee back in 2015.

Under the new law, Senate Bill 86, anyone obtaining a new motorcycle endorsement starting Sept. 1, 2023, will also be required to wear a helmet and eye protection during the first two years of their endorsement. The same goes for passengers riding with a new motorcycle operator.

Riders who have obtained their motorcycle endorsement before Sept. 1 will not be affected by the new law.

The law is part of a suite of new regulations proposed in March in an effort to reduce traffic deaths, which legislators say have risen sharply in Delaware. Gov. John Carney signed SB 86 into law on June 30.

Traffic fatalities in the state have increased dramatically over the past few years, rising from 117 in 2020 to 139 in 2021 to 165 last year, tying the record.

“Seeing the increase in fatalities on our roadways each week is heart-wrenching. This new law will help protect riders when they are their most vulnerable,” wrote Amy Anthony, director of the Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles.

Nineteen states and the District of Columbia require helmets and eye protection while riding on a motorcycle, lawmakers said.

Those found in violation of Delaware's new helmet law can receive a civil penalty of "not less than $25 nor more than $50."

More: After record-tying year of traffic deaths, Delaware leaders propose package of safety laws

Matthew Korfhage is a Philadelphia-based reporter for USA TODAY Network. Email him at mkorfhage@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: In Delaware, new motorcycle riders must now wear helmet