Fort Worth Motorcycle Helmet Laws

A motorcycle crash can leave you facing severe injuries while an insurer searches for reasons to reduce your payout. Helmet use often becomes a central dispute, especially in cases involving a head or neck injury. Understanding Fort Worth motorcycle helmet laws can help you protect your claim.

We examine whether state law requires helmet use and whether you wore headgear that met legal standards, and then assess the impact of helmet use on your injuries. Our experienced motorcycle accident attorneys can gather the course records and proof of insurance, along with the helmet and the necessary medical opinions needed to challenge an unfair blame argument.

Who Must Wear a Motorcycle Helmet

The state establishes a clear age requirement for operators and passengers. The rule in Texas Transportation Code § 661.003 requires anyone younger than 21 to wear protective headgear while operating or riding a motorcycle on public streets or highways.

The state will hold you liable if you carry a passenger under 21 who is not wearing a helmet. For a Fort Worth motorcycle rider, this age-line rule often decides whether helmet nonuse can be considered in a legal case.

If you are 21 or older, you may ride without a helmet after completing a Texas-approved motorcycle operator training and safety course, or if you have qualifying health insurance. Both paths satisfy the exemption. We preserve records that prove course completion or coverage on the date of the crash.

What Counts as Approved Headgear

The statute does not classify every hard-shell helmet as approved protection. The state mandates headgear that meets the safety standards set by the Department of Public Safety, which align with the federal motorcycle helmet rules identified by the DOT certification label.

In a motorized-cycle injury case, counsel from our Fort Worth team inspects the helmet, questions whether you fastened it properly, and whether it complied with applicable legislation. We preserve the post-crash helmet and document its labels and damage pattern. This evidence helps qualified experts explain whether the helmet complied and how it performed during impact.

Can Helmet Nonuse Reduce Your Injury Recovery?

The defense can raise helmet nonuse when it has admissible evidence showing that your choice contributed to the injuries for which you seek compensation. The argument is not simply that you rode without a helmet, as the defense must connect that nonuse to a particular injury or increased severity. They often use medical or biomechanical testimony.

The state uses modified comparative responsibility, and if the court finds your share of the blame exceeds half, you recover nothing. If the court finds you less than 50 percent responsible, it reduces your damages by the percentage that applies to you. The two-part rule resides in Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 33.011 and § 33.012.

Helmet law is important based on the evidence in your Fort Worth motorcycle lawsuit. We can argue that the court should not reduce your damages if you were legally exempt from wearing a helmet and suffered injuries that a helmet could not prevent. If you were required to wear approved headgear, the defense must prove that the helmet’s absence or inadequacy caused your injuries.

Time pressure influences insurers while they debate helmet use. The window established by Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code § 16.003 generally runs for two years from the date a personal injury claim accrues. Allowing time to pass can cost you records, witnesses, and rights to compensation. We challenge speculation with evidence and analysis before the deadline.

Consult Our Team If You Have Questions About Motorcycle Helmet Rules in Fort Worth

Our team at The Wilhite Law Firm understands how Fort Worth motorcycle helmet laws impact fault and medical causation. We investigate your collision, address any unsupported blame tactics, and then pursue the recovery you deserve.

Wilhite Wins means we are ready to help, so contact us or chat with us today before the filing deadline threatens your case.