A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to modify the requirement that a person who is eighteen years old or older wear a helmet while operating aN all‑terrain vehicle.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 20‑171.19 reads as rewritten:
"§ 20‑171.19.  Prohibited acts by owners and operators.
(a)	No person shall operate an all‑terrain vehicle on a public street or highway or public vehicular area unless the person wears eye protection and a safety helmet meeting United States Department of Transportation standards for motorcycle helmets.
(a1)	No person under 18 years of age shall operate an all‑terrain vehicle off a public street or highway or public vehicular area unless the person wears eye protection and a safety helmet meeting United States Department of Transportation standards for motorcycle helmets.(a2)	Notwithstanding subsection (a1) of this section, a person who is under 18 years of age and employed by a supplier of retail electric service, while engaged in power line inspection, may operate an all‑terrain vehicle while wearing both of the following:
(1)	Head protection equipped with a chin strap that conforms to the standards applicable to suppliers of retail electric service adopted by the Occupational Safety and Health Division of the North Carolina Department of Labor.
(2)	Eye protection that conforms to the standards applicable to suppliers of retail electric service adopted by the Occupational Safety and Health Division of the North Carolina Department of Labor.
…."
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective October 1, 2011, and applies to offenses committed on or after that date.