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A Plan Toward Zero Deaths

Governor Lincoln D. Chafee on October 1 signed Rhode Island's 2012 Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP). The plan is a blueprint for moving Toward Zero Deaths, a national effort to cut traffic fatalities and serious injuries in half by 2030. Watch a video on TZD that premiered at the SHSP signing event.

Highway Safety Performance Plan

The Rhode Island Highway Safety Performance Plan serves as the State of Rhode Island’s application for Federal funds for highway safety programs. The goals for the RIDOT Office on Highway Safety are described in the plan, along with performance measures, and strategies related to the program areas.

Major program areas:

Common Seat Belt Questions

Common Child Seat Questions

Home > Highway Safety > Helmet Use

Helmet Use

Choose a helmet that has been approved by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Look for a label on the helmet to see if it emets safety standards.

Select a helmet that fits properly.

Fitting a bike helmetNever buy children helmets that they need to grow into. A helmet must fit properly at the time they are wearing it. In order to get protection from a helmet, it must be worn correctly. Use the following techniques to ensure a helmet fits properly.

  • Place the helmet evenly on the head. Make certain that the front of the helmet sits only one to two finger-widths above the eyebrows.
  • Make sure the helmet doesn't tilt forward or back, but rests straight on the head.
  • Adjust foam fittings inside the helmet, if they are adjustable, making sure it is snug.
  • Tighten the chinstrap as snug as possible, adjusting the side straps that connect the front and back so that they rest just below the ears.
  • The helmet should not be able to shake loose or move from side to side.
  • Never wear a helmet that has been in a crash. Always replace it with a new helmet, even if you do not see physical damage.

Parents should always set an example for their children by wearing the proper safety equipment. With the affordability of helmets, usually available at local retail stores for $15 to $35, it's a smart purchase for the entire family. No matter what the wheeled sport, people of all ages should wear a helmet each and every time they hop on, lace up, or glide off.

Rhode Island Helmet Use Law

2001 RIGL 31-19-2.2

Bicycles • Scooters • Skateboards • Inline Skates • Rollerskates

Any child fifteen (15) years of age and younger operating or a passenger on a bike or using or operating a scooter, skateboard, inline skates or rollerskates on a public highway, bike path, recreational area, school property, shared use path or any other public right-of-way must wear a helmet.Helmets must fit the child's head and be secured by its straps. The helmets must meet the standards for helmets established by the Snell Memorial Foundation's 1984 standard for use in bicycling on standards established by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) on the U.S.Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC).