According to the National Safe Kids Campaign, motor vehicle collisions account for nearly 90 percent of all bicycle-related deaths. A collision with a motor vehicle increases the risk of death, severity of injury, and probability of head injury.

Help protect your child against such accidents by making sure that he or she wears a helmet at all times while cycling.

The District of Columbia has bicycle helmet laws to protect cyclists, under the age of 16, who enjoy the many streets and trails in and around the Nation's Capital. Helmet laws are enforced for minors and encouraged for all adult cyclists, so please make sure you and your child wear a helmet at all times when riding a bike.

Read the DC Bicycle Helmet Law.

• The law mandates that riders under 16 are required to wear a helmet while cycling in the District of Columbia.
• The law also requires that children under the age of 16 wear a helmet when riding a scooter, skateboard, sled, coaster, toy vehicle, or any similar device. 

Penalties

• First Offense: fine waived
• Second Offense: $25 fine to parent

Safety Tips for Bikers

• Safe Streets Bicycle Safety Tips (Provided by the Washington Area Bicyclist Association)