There is no shortage of scientific evidence showing that wearing a properly designed and fitted safety helmet while riding a motorcycle will significantly reduce your chances of suffering serious head, face, and/or brain trauma in a wreck. Despite that, not every state requires motorcycle operators or riders to wear safety helmets, or any other type of safety gear, while riding. Some states only require helmets for certain types of people riding under certain circumstances.
By contrast, Louisiana has strict requirements for helmet use among motorcyclists. Failing to wear a helmet could not only create legal trouble for you but it can also impede your pursuit of civil compensation after a crash that someone else caused. Here is a brief overview of what you should know about Lafayette motorcycle helmet laws, each aspect of which a motorcycle injury attorney from Tomeny | Best could discuss in more detail during a private consultation.
Who Is Required to Wear a Motorcycle Helmet While Riding?
Under Louisiana Revised Statutes §32:190, every person operating or riding on a motorcycle, motor-driven cycle, or motorized bicycle must wear a safety helmet specifically designed for motorcycle use at all times while their vehicle is in motion. This helmet must meet the safety standards set by the Louisiana Department of Transportation, and it must have both a lining and internal padding, an attached visor, and a chin strap. Violations of the motorcycle helmet law in Lafayette or elsewhere in Louisiana are punishable by a $50 fine, as well as liability for court costs.
While there have been recent legislative efforts to overturn this law, those efforts have so far been unsuccessful. In 2025, there are only two exceptions to this helmet requirement: local police are allowed to exempt certain people from the helmet requirement if they are riding motorcycles as part of a scheduled parade or other public exhibition; or operators and passengers in autocycles with enclosed cabs and/or rollbars or roll cages are not required to wear helmets while traveling in that specific type of vehicle.
How Not Wearing a Helmet Could Affect a Motorcycle Injury Claim?
Because motorcycle helmets are required by law for all riders in Lafayette and throughout Louisiana, it is not uncommon for civil courts to hold that a helmetless rider who suffers a head injury in a wreck is partly to blame for their own injuries. Based on that conclusion, the court could then assign a percentage of comparative fault for the rider’s injuries to be put alongside the fault held by other parties involved in the incident.
In accordance with Louisiana Civil Code §2323, the court could reduce the total amount of money available to the injured motorcyclist in proportion to their share of total fault for their accident. In this way, not wearing a helmet while riding can wind up costing thousands of dollars in civil compensation as opposed to just $50 in fines.
Learn More About Bike Helmet Laws From a Lafayette Attorney
Knowing about Lafayette motorcycle helmet laws is crucial both to keeping yourself on the right side of the law and to keeping yourself safe in the event of an accident while you are riding. Unfortunately, even the best safety gear will not likely completely eliminate the risk from another person’s misconduct that could lead to you suffering life-altering injuries in a wreck that was not your fault.
If you have been seriously hurt in similar circumstances, help is available to you. Our seasoned motorcycle accident lawyers have experience handling cases like yours to help you gain fair financial compensation for your damages. Call Tomeny | Best today to discuss your options.
