Skateboarding Rules and Laws
The first rule of skateboarding is there are very few rules if any. The idea of skateboarding was originally for surfers that wanted to occupy their downtime when the waves were low on dry land. They used their surfing style and maneuvers when the first skateboards were designed and they just want to be free and move, where anything goes. Nevertheless there are certain rules that apply when skating in public places.
These rules do not apply to competitions, since each competition has its own rules of how many runs for each competition, what the scoring system is and any other rules that may apply. These rules are what need to be followed if skating in a public place or skate park. Skateboarding has the potential to cause very serious injury especially head injuries and because of that the most important rule that should be followed is to always wear protective gear. Wearing head gear is first and foremost for anyone that wants to skateboard. Other protective gear that should be used are elbow pads, knee pads, gloves and shoes that are closed, no bare feet or sandals. There are states, such as Oregon that have laws requiring skaters younger than 16 to use helmets. Wearing reflective or fluorescent vests or tape also helps the skateboarder to be seen both in the daylight as well as at night.
Traffic rules must also be followed in order to be safe and while participating in skateboarding. The safest place for skateboarders is at a designated skate park but if they are not available then skateboarders need to heed certain rules. Normally they need to stay on sidewalks and not the roads if sidewalks are not available then they need to be going with the flow of traffic and always cross the street by walking not skating. They also need to obey stop lights and stop signs in the same manner in which pedestrians do.
Rules vary from state to state, county to county and town to town and the skateboarder needs to know where they can skate and where they are not allowed to in order to not find themselves in trouble as ignorance of the law is not an excuse to breaking the law. Many government building like city hall, courthouses and other municipal areas are off limits to skateboarders. Therefore be proactive and check the rules before skating so there will not be any chance of running into a problem in areas that are unfamiliar, since most laws are made for the safety of the people.
Other Topics of Interest
NOTE: Information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Some content is compiled from 3rd party sources. If you are aware of incorrect or outdated information, feel free to contact us.