This appears to be about the only thing the cops can use to "school" themselves on identifying a non DOT helmet.
All of my friends and I ride with NON DOT helmet's with counterfeit DOT sticker's and I've even glued a ANSI/Snell tag from a real DOT helmet inside my NON DOT helmet.

We've heard lots about cop's cracking down and giving out lot's of ticket's. I'm interested in hearing stories about pull over's where the cop get's into the helmet issue. Is there a way to win or beat the rap if you get issued a ticket?

Identifying USDOT Compliant Helmets

Below are components of USDOT compliant motorcycle helmets:

• Thick Inner Liner: Helmets meeting the minimum Federal safety standard have an inner liner usually about one-inch thick of firm polystyrene foam. Sometimes the inner liner will not be visible, but you should still be able to feel its thickness. Unsafe helmets normally contain only soft foam padding or a bare plastic shell with no padding at all.

• Sturdy Chin Strap and Rivets: Helmets meeting the USDOT safety standard have sturdy chinstraps with solid rivets.

• Weight of Helmet: Depending on design, unsafe helmets weigh only one pound or less. Helmets meeting FMVSS 218 generally weigh about three pounds. These helmets provide a more substantial feel.

• Design/Style of Helmet: The USDOT safety standard does not allow anything to extend further than two-tenths of an inch from the surface of a helmet. For example, while visor fasteners are allowed, a spike or other protruding decorations indicate an unsafe helmet. Unsafe helmets are noticeably smaller in diameter and thinner than ones meeting the USDOT standard.

• DOT Sticker: Helmets that meet FMVSS 218 must have a sticker on the outside back of the helmet with the letters “DOT,” which certifies that the helmet meets or exceeds FMVSS 218. It is important to note that some novelty helmet sellers provide DOT stickers separately for motorcyclists to place on non-complying helmets. In this case, the DOT sticker is invalid and does not certify compliance.

• Snell or ANSI Label: In addition to the DOT sticker, labels located inside the helmet showing that a helmet meets the standards of private, non-profit organizations are good indicators that the helmet also meets the Federal safety standard.

• Manufacturer’s Labeling: Manufacturers are required under FMVSS 218 to place a label on or inside the helmet stating the manufacturer’s name, model, size, month and year of manufacture, construction materials, and owner’s information. A helmet that does not meet the Federal safety standard usually does not have such labeling. Remember that a DOT sticker on the back of the helmet and proper inside labeling do not necessarily indicate that a helmet meets all DOT requirements. Many helmets have counterfeit DOT stickers and a limited few also have manufacturer’s labeling. But the design and weight of a helmet, thickness of the inner liner, and the quality of the chin strap and rivets are extra clues to help distinguish safe helmets from non-complying ones.

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/inju...ages/page2.htm

 

Well i think i can speak for alot of other law enforcement officers on here and that is to say we are not pulling you over for the helmet,but something else that has drawn our attention to you about the way you are riding which then we get into the helmet issue.

 

In Mass - they DO pull you over for the helmet and that is it.. I was pulled over years ago when I lived there. I was ticketed & towed for wearing a "beanie". I went to court and it was thrown out..This particular State Trooper did this so many times, they took him off the patrol of that area. I have friends in Mass and there are still some areas where they pull riders over for helmets and no other reason.

I live in NH now - no helmet law, but I choose to wear a DOT half helmet now.

Not bashing , just educating.

 

Mark, I have to agree with MMCNH, they DO pull you over for the helmet in NY & NJ...I have never been pulled over on my bike...friend's however, have... for nothing more than a "helmet check".

My question is, what official document (if any) do you use to determine if a helmet is DOT certified? You, as a rider KNOW what's DOT & what's not, how many other cop's ride and would know the differance? If I have my DOT/ Ansi/ Snell sticker's perfectly placed, it would be a tough case for any cop to win in court.

 

Helmet laws, like seatbelt laws are just another form of taxation. Iv'e had several tickets for both.

 

This DOT thing is just another marketing ploy. You know planned obselecence. Change the standard and everybody is required to buy a new helmet. A lot of money to be made. Helmet laws are not about safety, they are about selling helmets! Years ago when the DOT mandated all states have helmet laws, our state required four square inches of reflectorized material on both sides and the back of the helmet. I was stopped by a cop at 3:00 in the afternoon in August for not having reflectorized tape. When I asked the donut muncher if he was crazy he pulled his gun on me! I beat the ticket because the cop never really examined the lid, and couldn't explain what reflectorized meant, how much light shined on it, visable at what distance etc. A few years later when the DOT lost it's ability to blackmail states over helmet laws we found our seven years with a helmet law resulted in a 23% increase in fatalities per reported accidents compared to the previous seven years. So it wasn't about saving lives. Helmet laws are about money, a lot of cops, not all, will hassle you just because they can, imagine that.

Why don't people fight these rip off laws like they used to? Are that many people brainwashed into thinking government bureaucrats who don't even ride, know more about riding than motorcyles riders do.

 

Easy solution: Wear a DOT/ANSI/Snell helmet where required. Become active to change the laws you think don't make sense.

 

In WI, 16-17 yr olds and those on instruction permits are required to wear helmets. Most 16-17 yr olds are on sport bikes and wearing full face'rs and the older, new riders all seem to have nice, new helmets. In 20+ yrs I have never inspected a helmet for a DOT sticker. With the $$ some people pay for custom paint, why mess it up with a silly square DOT sticker. The real way I see it being an issue in WI is when involving serious injury/death/liability. I guess I have it easier

 

If the law requires you to wear a DOT helmet, what do you gain by wearing a novelty helmet anyway? Personal choice aside, if I have to wear something, I would rather it actually be a functional piece of equipment.

 

California has altered its enforcement somewhat in the last year. Now you receive a "fix-it ticket" and must pay around $30 in processing fees and signoff showing a DOT helmet in use to a local stationhouse or CHP office. The cool factor is that the law interprets any headcovering (flamed yarmaluke?) that's not DOT the same way - meaning your do rag, baseball cap or bomber leathers receive the same warning...