ATV crash victim’s daughter in Kentucky launches petition to expand helmet law to riders over 16

A Kentucky woman whose family was affected by an ATV crash has started a petition pushing lawmakers to change the state’s helmet requirements for ATV riders, according to WKYT. Brooklynn, the daughter of a crash victim, is calling for helmet protections to extend beyond the current age and land-use limits in Kentucky law.

Kentucky’s current ATV helmet statute requires riders under age 16 to always wear a helmet. For riders who are 16 or older, the helmet rule applies only when operating on public property, WKYT reported, with exceptions tied to certain work activities and private property use.

WKYT said Brooklynn is using the petition effort to press the General Assembly to broaden the circumstances in which helmets are required. She framed the effort as turning personal loss and injury into a public-safety initiative, with the goal of reducing the risk of head injury in ATV crashes for more riders and more situations.

The petition comes as Kentucky communities continue to navigate vehicle safety rules that distinguish between public roads and private land, including farmland and other work-related settings. Under the existing framework described by WKYT, riders over 16 can be outside helmet requirements depending on where they ride and why they are riding, including categories such as farming, mining, and logging.

Public-safety advocates and lawmakers typically focus on what rules can be enforced consistently, especially when accidents occur on properties that are not public roads. WKYT’s report highlights that Kentucky’s current approach limits mandatory helmet use for older riders, which Brooklynn argues leaves some crash victims without the protection that helmet laws are meant to provide.

Brooklynn’s petition seeks to shift that baseline, according to WKYT, by asking lawmakers to revise the current eligibility boundaries for when helmets are required for ATV operation in Kentucky. The report did not provide specific bill language, but it described Brooklynn’s aim as expanding helmet rules for riders older than the under-16 threshold.

The next step in the process will depend on whether the petition is taken up by state lawmakers or used to support a proposed change during the legislative session. WKYT reported on her effort to build public support through the petition as lawmakers consider public safety measures and enforcement questions tied to ATV use statewide.