SECTION 1: Section 7 of Chapter 90, as appearing in the 1998 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out in its entirety  the following, “Every person operating a motorcycle or riding as a passenger on a motorcycle or in a sidecar attached to a motorcycle shall wear protective head gear conforming with such minimum standards of construction and performance as the registrar may prescribe, and no person operating a motorcycle shall permit any other person to ride as a passenger on such motorcycle or in a sidecar attached to such motorcycle unless such passenger is wearing such protective head gear, except that no protective head gear shall be required if the motorcyclist is participating in a properly permitted public parade and is 18 years of age or older.”

SECTION 2: Section 7 of Chapter 90 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by adding at the end of said section the following new paragraph:

“Every person operating a motorcycle or riding as a passenger on a motorcycle or in a sidecar attached to a motorcycle who is under the age of eighteen years of age must wear protective headgear conforming with such minimum standards and construction as the Registrar may prescribe, and no person operating a motorcycle shall permit any other person under the age of eighteen years of age to ride as a passenger on such motorcycle unless said passenger is wearing protective headgear.