Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Three Wheeler & Super 3 Are helmets required for 3W riders in US States?

Ahh, good question Ken. I've been on the same site and no further definition is given. I'm going to assume ( I like that word) that because 80% of my body is in the cockpit, so I guess its up to the law officer? In three years I haven't been stopped yet, so onward and upward!

Currently in California you do not need to wear a helmet when in an M3W, despite the motorcycle registration. Also, you can legally drive in the carpool lane. It's actually odd since California is so persnickety about everything.

Maryland had the motorcycle exclusion of the people are "enclosed".

It'd be easier if they used the terminology

Sit On = motor bike/trike

Sit In = 3 wheeler car

This would reduce opportunities for lawyers & most law makers are lawyers so wont happen.

Somewhere in the depth of UK construction and use regulations referring to trikes and the numbers of headlights needed are the terms, motorcycle bodied, and car bodied.

This does cover the issue nicely I feel and the only contraptions that don't fit into this nicely are the few three wheelers made from the back end of a Beetle, and the front of a motorbike. As long as one gets a law-upholder with imagination, not really a problem since you can extrapolate the body type from the driver's seating position.

In the UK at least, the rules do need to be formulated with care as defining a car as a vehicle with a steering wheel immediately excludes a number of veteran cars and trikes with tiller steering. Nobody in their right mind would class this Léon Bollée as a motorbike. Idiotic, yes, not much argument about that!

The Sunbeam-Mabley was also tiller steered. Does it count as a quadricycle? Has any more bonkers arrangement ever been sold? Not sure how it would work on other than smooth roads. I can see circumstances where the drive wheels would be in the air.
http://www.sunbeam.org.au/?page_id=483

Last month I spoke with a knowledgeable NY State Trooper at the NY Motorcycle show. He was very conversant with NY's DMV law and informed me that the phrase "with a cockpit" that I had relied on for rationale for not having to wear a helmet in my 5 speeder (And 2 speeder before that) in NY legalese referred to an enclosed structure. The upshot is that in New York, helmets are required...guess I'll be enjoying more rides in Connecticut where helmets are optional. Ah well, battle lost. :-(

I live in Vermont where a helmet should be required but it is ignored. Next door in New Hampshire one can ride any motorcycle without a helmet as long as you are 18 or older. I keep a helmet for when I cross into New York. Aside from an old tradition of the New York troopers shaking down Vermont drivers whenever possible they are sticklers for the helmet laws. I keep the Blau Beastie up on insurance and inspections and totally legal for this very reason.

When I was ticketed in Vermont the trooper did not want to even deal with the helmet/seatbelt item. He just wrote me up for speeding. He tacitly agreed with me that if I hit something at speed or get hit at speed then it is over/done for me helmet or not.

Here in Texas it's also the under 18 thing as far as helmet rules go.