What Are Your Rights as a Cyclist?

Some states have them written down, other states don’t. However, if you are a cyclist, you have certain rights to ride your bicycle. It is not illegal unless otherwise posted and drivers have to respect your right to do it. So if you have certain rights, what are they?

The rights of a cyclist include:

• The right to ride on any public street except limited access expressways and areas where signs prohibit bicyclists.
• The right to use either hand in order to signal a stop or turn to nearby vehicles.
• The right to ride on the right side of motor vehicles in the travel lane.
• Cyclists may be able to ride their bicycle on sidewalks, but only if the area is a non-commercial district and doesn’t have posted signs prohibiting it.
• Cyclists have the right to ride two abreast in a lane so long as there is more than two lanes of travel in the same direction.

Unfortunately, while all those are well within a cyclist’s rights, it doesn’t always mean that it is safe to exercise those rights. The problem is that while cyclists may know their rights, many driver’s do not. This means that driver’s may take unnecessary risks in order to go around slower cyclists, even though they are well within their rights to ride there. This is how accidents happen.

While cyclists shouldn’t have to make compromises, they may need to in order to stay safe. If you were exercising your rights and got into an accident with a vehicle, contact us today. The Law Office of Gary Brustin is dedicated to representing the rights of injured cyclists.