Anyone here been stopped for using a Brake Free unit?

[Raven]

Just wondering if anyone here has been stopped for using a Brake Free.
Reason for asking is, I seen a gentleman with one attached to his jacket.
I asked him how he liked the Brake Free and why was it attached to his jacket.
He said he really like it, but he and his friends were stopped by the police and told it was illegal to have it attached to his helmet.
This was in Kingston Ontario.
I see people with all sorts of things fastened to their helmets, so what is the problem?
Maybe the officer was having a bad day.
Bruce

 

[BajaRon]

I would contact the company. They should know and may have certification which could be presented to law enforcement if needed.

Interestingly, this is what Brake Free states.

Yes, Brake Free helmet lights are legal in Canada for street use as long as the helmet meets the required safety standards:

Yes, the Brake Free helmet light is legal to use in the United States because there are no regulations that prohibit the use of lights on helmets.

But I also found this.

While state laws vary, helmet LED lights are usually legal if they are not flashing or colored red and blue.

It does not appear that this is a settled subject.

 

[racoon]

But I also found this.

While state laws vary, helmet LED lights are usually legal if they are not flashing or colored red and blue.

I can see how red and blue flashing lights on a non-emergency vehicle might upset some law enforcement officers.

Tennessee law appears to say that brakes lights can flash when applied, but for no more than 5 seconds, and then switch to a solid brake light. I couldn't find anything about lights on helmets.

I personally wouldn't want lights on my helmet, only because I try to avoid interactions with police officers, and wearing something that is "eye catching" just begs for an officer to pull you over to ask about it, even if you don't get a ticket for it.

 

[Raven]

The police officer didn't have problem with Brake Free itself, but with it being attached to the helmet.
This gentleman attached his to his jacket.
Not a good idea in my mind, would hurt like hell in a crash.
I really like the idea of the Brake Free because the Ryker slows quickly without using the brakes.
If I am slowing down I am trying to develop the habit of tapping the brake petal, just to warn the guy behind me.

 

[TheMariner]

If I am slowing down I am trying to develop the habit of tapping the brake petal, just to warn the guy behind me.

I do the same. In fact, a 2-wheel advanced riding school I attended encouraged doing it too. Tapping the rear brake on a bike has little effect on the rate you are slowing down but you need to just be a little more gentle with the combined braking on Spyders & Rykers.

 

[Peter Aawen]

The police officer didn't have problem with Brake Free itself, but with it being attached to the helmet.
This gentleman attached his to his jacket.
Not a good idea in my mind, would hurt like hell in a crash.
I really like the idea of the Brake Free because the Ryker slows quickly without using the brakes.
If I am slowing down I am trying to develop the habit of tapping the brake petal, just to warn the guy behind me.

You can get yourself into a lot of trouble very quickly here in Oz by attaching things to your helmet - I can't recall the specifics atm & I'm not gonna go look them up to quote them cos that'd just be too hard today - but unless it's pretty much the same shape & weight, even attaching a camera to your helmet in the same way/place you'd attach a comms unit could result in a fine if not worse!! :lecturef_smilie:

In short tho, we have mandatory helmet laws here, country wide - no biggie there as far as I'm concerned and all our helmets must not only be ADR Approved & certified with any/all attachments and stickers that might be affixed, but they are even required to have the original ADR Compliance tag/sticker firmly affixed and legible!! So if your helmet liner tag has faded thru a few years of sweat & the occasional washing, and you get stopped by the Police to check your helmet &/or the attached sticker, camera, or brake light unit, then woe betide you if you don't have a spare helmet aboard so you can ride home after they find your helmet's ADR Tag is too faded to read!! nojoke

 

[bikerbillone]

Racoon, agree, I just don't want to give those guys any reason to pull a stop.

 

[BajaRon]

You can get yourself into a lot of trouble very quickly here in Oz by attaching things to your helmet - I can't recall the specifics atm & I'm not gonna go look them up to quote them cos that'd just be too hard today - but unless it's pretty much the same shape & weight, even attaching a camera to your helmet in the same way/place you'd attach a comms unit could result in a fine if not worse!! :lecturef_smilie:

In short tho, we have mandatory helmet laws here, country wide - no biggie there as far as I'm concerned and all our helmets must not only be ADR Approved & certified with any/all attachments and stickers that might be affixed, but they are even required to have the original ADR Compliance tag/sticker firmly affixed and legible!! So if your helmet liner tag has faded thru a few years of sweat & the occasional washing, and you get stopped by the Police to check your helmet &/or the attached sticker, camera, or brake light unit, then woe betide you if you don't have a spare helmet aboard so you can ride home after they find your helmet's ADR Tag is too faded to read!! nojoke

I'm assuming that com units are OK?

Some countries are very controlling. America didn't used to be. But that is all changing these days.

I've dealt in Arai helmets since the late 90's. I shipped an Arai helmet to a customer in Israel and his customs returned it. Although all Arai helmets meet all specifications worldwide. That helmet did not have the 'Approved' stickers and so Israel would not allow it into the country.

 

[Peter Aawen]

I'm assuming that com units are OK?

Some countries are very controlling. America didn't used to be. But that is all changing these days.

I've dealt in Arai helmets since the late 90's. I shipped an Arai helmet to a customer in Israel and his customs returned it. Although all Arai helmets meet all specifications worldwide. That helmet did not have the 'Approved' stickers and so Israel would not allow it into the country.

Yep, and most of the better-known brands are fine, have been type approved, & use ADR approved methods to fix the units to a helmet. :thumbup:

But technically, even those small comms units that mount onto the side of a helmet needs an Australian Design Rule (ADR) 'type approval' to be strictly legal, and some (orright, many! ) of the imported cheapies don't bother to do that; and while it's not illegal to import them or even sell them, so they are out there; those that don't have said 'type approval' are technically not approved for use - so if you get pulled over & the Officer doing the pulling over isn't feeling generous &/or you've given them reason to look for every little thing they can ping you on... :banghead:

 

[Raven]

I would contact the company. They should know and may have certification which could be presented to law enforcement if needed.

Interestingly, this is what Brake Free states.

Yes, Brake Free helmet lights are legal in Canada for street use as long as the helmet meets the required safety standards:

Yes, the Brake Free helmet light is legal to use in the United States because there are no regulations that prohibit the use of lights on helmets.

But I also found this.

While state laws vary, helmet LED lights are usually legal if they are not flashing or colored red and blue.

It does not appear that this is a settled subject.

So I took Ron's advice and contacted Brake Free, and told them the story, here is what got back.

Thanks for reaching out.
We do have a customer who is a Motorcycle Safety consultant and retired Police MC Instructor, and crash investigator in Canada and has been introducing Brake Free to his students and recommending us to them. He is a Brake Free user himself.

He confirms legally based on TS108 " A motorcycle may be equipped with modulating headlamps if the headlights comply with section 5.6 of the Technical Standards Document 108 Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations ( Canada)
Hope this helps.

My reply.

Thankyou for your reply, but it didn't really help.
The problem that the officer had with Brake Free was it being attached to the helmet.
He said it was illegal to have it attached to thee helmet.
I just don't want to pulled over and ticketed every time I go for a fide.
The other question I have is if I was stopped and charged, what support could I expect for Brake Free. thanks for your time.


Their reply.


So far we haven't received any reports from our Canadian customers about being pulled over due to their Brake Free lights.
This is actually why we established a warehouse in Canada, to ship locally and accommodate the high volume of customers we have there.
Ultimately we rely on feedback from our customers.
If there were any legal issues, we likely would have closed the Canada warehouse by now and our order volume would have decreased significantly.
Hope this helps.


So there you have it.
Bruce

 

[ARtraveler]

I purchased and used a Brake Free unit for the last three years of my motorcycle riding. All my riding with Brake Free was in the state of Arkansas. I was never pulled over by law enforcement or told of any violations by using the device. I did get a lot of "what's that" questions when gassing up or going into a restaurant with our gear on.

My personal opinion, it is a great device that lets other drivers in your rear view know what is going on. Flashing red lights are good in this case. Lamonster Garage sells the units if you are interested in a supplier.

 

[Raven]

Thanks AR, I agree that it is a great device, and the taillights on a Ryker are very low. I have already added another taillight under the seat.

The Brake Free was on my Christmas wish list.
As I said in my first post, I only got concerned after talking to the gentleman who was stopped by the police. I know some police officers are not motorcycle friendly and maybe he was one. As you can see from their replies, they're good at answering questions without answering questions. It's too bad it does not have a DOT sticker on it. Maybe they can put "For Race Use Only" on it. LOL

 

[MRH]

I love mine, and haven't had any issues in California. I tend to think that I'm not likely to get in trouble for something that makes it safer for me and those around me, and so far I've been right. If a cop was just looking for an excuse, perhaps this could be one, but most have better things to do than pull me over for something that makes me more visible.

 

[Raven]

The officer only had a problem with the Brake Free being attached to the helmet, not with the BrakeFree.
The gentleman who I talked fastened his to his jacket.
Maybe there is a law here about attaching things to your helmet.

 

[White Lightening]

I can’t speak for Canada’s laws. In the US anything that protrudes more than 5mm will invalidate your helmets certification. Depending on your state helmet laws that could be where you run into trouble. I worked with Federal, state, and local law enforcement for officers for several decades (I was not in law enforcement myself) in Washington state and they knew those requirements. Depending on what you we’re doing while riding a protruding attachment could provide them a reason for initiating a stop. I learned about the regulation from them. I never knew one to initiate a stop for that but they could. A discussion about the regulation is here:
https://bikerwhizz.com/can-you-have-a-gopro-on-your-helmet-in-california/

 

[seaweed]

I can’t speak for Canada’s laws. In the US anything that protrudes more than 5mm will invalidate your helmets certification. Depending on your state helmet laws that could be where you run into trouble. I worked with Federal, state, and local law enforcement for officers for several decades (I was not in law enforcement myself) in Washington state and they knew those requirements. Depending on what you we’re doing while riding a protruding attachment could provide them a reason for initiating a stop. I learned about the regulation from them. I never knew one to initiate a stop for that but they could. A discussion about the regulation is here:
https://bikerwhizz.com/can-you-have-a-gopro-on-your-helmet-in-california/

California law requires helmets to meet federal safety standards, and the guidelines state that attachments longer than 5 mm are not allowed

. This would mean many comm units also, which stick out more than 5 mm.
That seems to be a bit drastic

 

[racoon]

. This would mean many comm units also, which stick out more than 5 mm.
That seems to be a bit drastic

Maybe, but it does sound like California.