New North Carolina Law Changes Rules of the Road for Both Cyclists and Drivers

According to North Carolina’s Department of Transportation, around 19 cyclists are killed and more the 650 are injured per year in the state. However, in an effort to make the road safer for both cyclists and drivers, the state has set down some new safety laws and intends to roll out stricter punishments to enforce them.

The majority of North Carolina’s bicycling accidents can be blamed on impatient drivers that illegally pass cyclists or push them off the road. The new law covers this in three main parts.

Drivers will now be able to legally pass bicycles in no passing zones, providing they keep a buffer of four feet. This is raised from the previous two-foot buffer. Aggressive drivers who push bicycles off the road or cause them to crash will now face stiffer penalties, including loss of license and higher fines. As for bicyclists, the new law now forces them to learn new safety hand signals, add a light to the back of their bike, and wear reflective clothing at night.

The addition of these new rules of the road comes after the initiative of countless cyclists in the state. Due to the poor conduct of drivers, cyclists, particularly in rural areas, had taken to wearing front and back cameras so that they could bring in pictures and video to police and law-making officials just to show how dangerous being a cyclist can be.

Yet, not every state will pay mind to the initiative of endangered cyclists. If you have suffered a bicycle accident due to the aggressiveness of driver, contact us today.