SPRINGFIELD, Ill. | Illinois is among only three states that don't require helmet use while riding a motorcycle, no matter a person's age.

Mandatory helmet laws are the most high profile and controversial motorcycle issues often dealt with by lawmakers and lobbyists. Iowa has no law on helmets, either.

But some in Illinois say there is no momentum toward changing the law in this state.

"I get no pressure," said state Sen. Gary Forby, a Benton Democrat and motorcycle rider.

Groups like A Brotherhood Aimed Towards Education that fight mandatory helmet laws say they're not against wearing them, but just want to give people the option. As the name of the organization might suggest, ABATE pushes for education programs to try to get riders to avoid wrecks, said spokesman Dan Harper.

Part of the reason Forby hasn't felt any pressure is because the lawmaker who sometimes pushes for helmet laws has mostly given up.

State Sen. John Cullerton, D-Chicago, says that after his initial push for a helmet law in the mid-1980s, ABATE's substantial lobbying efforts have quashed the idea.

Now, he says, it's not worth even filing legislation.

"All it did was help drive their membership," he said. "They are very good lobbyists. But they are totally wrong on this issue."

Perhaps needless to say, Cullerton who sponsored the legislation in the 1980s to make seat belts mandatory, doesn't have plans to push for a helmet law soon.

Forby said it could be hard to come up with legislation to protect motorcyclists. The Harley-Davidson rider said they have to be responsible for their own safety.

"If you don't ride on defense all the time," he said, "you're in trouble."