Despite a possible law requiring motorcyclists to wear helmets in Chicago, DeKalb motorcycle experts said more needs to be done to ensure safe riding.

The ordinance, proposed by Chicago Democratic Alderman Edward Burke, would require motorcycle riders to wear a helmet inside the Chicago city limits.

The chance of the law passing is slim and for it to have a carryover effect to DeKalb is even slimmer, said Robert Ritter, director of NIU’s Motorcycle Safety Project.

“I think it’s going to be a difficult task [to pass the law]. We got one of the strongest lobbyist groups in the motorcycle industry [in Illinois],” Ritter said.

Illinois is one of only three states without a helmet law.

There is a high rate of accidents in the Chicago area, Ritter said, and although a helmet law would help, he said other steps need to be taken as well.

“We need more public awareness of motorcyclists. Seventy-two percent of multi-vehicle accidents [involving a motorcycle] are caused by the four-wheel vehicle,” Ritter said.

He said a number of riders have accidents because they try to perform above their skill level. Proper training and knowledge is needed to prevent such occurrences.

Other motorcycle enthusiasts have said that requiring a helmet law in Illinois would be unconstitutional.

“Basically, no matter what we think, the state has said that it’s against the law to require motorcyclists to wear helmets,” said John Lyon, owner of a Sycamore motorcycle dealership, J&J Sports, 2445 Bethany Road.

In 1968, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that a helmet law would be an abuse of police power and unconstitutional.

Still, Lyon said wearing a helmet is a personal choice he finds easy to make.

“I always wear a helmet. I’ve been in accidents before and a lot of these guys don’t know what it’s like,” Lyon said. “If they want to take their lives into their own hands, they can. It’s a personal choice.”

Jake Faivre, sales associate at Tuf Kawasaki, 1900 E. Lincoln Highway, said wearing a helmet is a personal choice he or she makes, but proper training and awareness are the most important steps toward motorcycle safety.

“I would never ride without one, but most of the time it’s not because people aren’t wearing helmets that [a serious injury occurs],” Faivre said.

He said he knows of riders who have been killed because they had been drinking and decided to take their motorcycle out for a ride. Some were wearing helmets.

“There needs to be better training,” Faivre said. “A lot of people think they have the skill level when they don’t.”