BY CATHERINE TSAI
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Two new Kentucky laws that allow many motorcyclists to ride without helmets and permit residents to block some sales calls from telemarketers have left officials deluged with inquiries.
Motorcyclists with a "no helmet" sticker from their county clerk's office don't have to wear helmets in Kentucky anymore, as of Wednesday.
"They've been selling like hotcakes," said Willie Payton of Kentucky's Division of Motor Vehicle Licensing.
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RULES FOR NEW LAWS
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About Kentucky's "no helmet" and "no call" laws that were effective Wednesday:
"No helmet" stickers are issued by county clerks. Resident motorcyclists must wear helmets if they are:
•Under 21
• Have a motorcycle instruction permit
• Have had a motorcycle license for less than a year
• Are without proof of health insurance
To be added to the state's "no call" list for sales calls:
• Call 1-800-671-7701 or 1-888-432-9257 from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays. Callers with last names from A-M are asked to call July 21-25. Last names N-Z are asked to call July 28-31.
• Write 1024 Capitol Center Dr., Frankfort, 40601
• E-mail: nocallmail.law.state. ky.us
Have the names of everyone in your house over 18, your address and phone number. You must live in Kentucky.
The attorney general's office will mail a card to all callers and writers. Cards returned by July 31 will be put on the no-call list for Aug. 1.
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More than 2,500 Kentuckians, annoyed by phone salespeople who interrupt dinner to peddle their wares, have swamped the Kentucky attorney general's office with calls after the "no call" law went into effect, also on Wednesday.
"It's been wild," said Corey Bellamy, attorney general's office spokesman.
Since the no-helmet law went into effect, Campbell County Clerk Jack Snodgrass said he's been flooded with questions.
"We're getting 10-15 phone calls an hour," he said.
Under the law, riders over 21 who have had a motorcycle operator's license for a year and who can show proof of health insurance can get a no helmet sticker. Everyone else needs to wear a helmet.
Kenton County Clerk Bill Aylor has received requests for stickers from Ohioans, but only Kentuckians can get one.
That means riders from outside of Kentucky who enter the state must wear a helmet -- it's all about having the sticker. Both Ohio and Indiana are "no helmet" states.
Mr. Payton said several county clerks are complaining about the law.
First, clerks have to send a letter to sticker holders' insurers. And second, the law doesn't say what counts as proof of health insurance.
"I've gotten cards from companies that no longer exist," Mr. Aylor said. "It's really not a good law." He said he has accepted insurance cards, not policies, and anything normally accepted in hospitals.
As of Friday, 120 people in Kenton County have already gotten "no helmet" stickers. Boone County had issued 50 stickers. Statistics were not available in other area counties.
Meanwhile, at the attorney general's office in Frankfort, six temporary workers were hired to handle phone calls, even though the "no call" law will only affect an estimated 5 percent of sales calls a typical resident gets at home. The law was watered down before passage and only affects telemarketing firms that contract out their services, not firms that make their own calls.
"We've had callers from Tennessee, Ohio and Indiana wanting to get on the list," Mr. Bellamy said.
The office had to add a second toll-free line to handle calls, but both were busy for much of Friday.
