It's illegal to ride a bike without wearing a helmet in Seattle and greater King County.

Since three bike sharing companies launched in the city, however, there's been a lot of talk about how that law is enforced.

The data shows that if in fact more people are riding without a helmet, they're not getting tickets.

Tickets for helmet violations are at a seven-year low. That's the trend so far this year, based on data from Seattle's Municipal Court.

In August, the first full month for the new bike vendors, officers ticketed just one cyclist for not wearing a helmet. That's fewer, on average, than the months prior.