October 20, 2016
We may tell ourselves that bicycle culture is growing each and every day, but the honest truth is that the majority of non-cyclists have literally no idea what to do when sharing the road with a bicycle, much less what cyclists are supposed to do. However, what happens when not even police officers are familiar with the laws for cyclists? One cyclist in Oviedo, Florida found out the hard way after capturing an exchange between a police officer and himself on his helmet camera.
In the video, the officer asked cyclist Jon Holmes to move out of the lane onto the sidewalk, which is not state statute. The cyclist then countered with the correct law that stated that cyclists can use the lane if it is too narrow for cars to pass safely. After some more back and forth, the officer finally leaves. However, while it ended rather peacefully, it does show a major problem with cycling laws – not even police officers know what they are.
The officer was just trying to make sure Jon Holmes was safe, but when you have ridden the equivalent of 12,000 miles, you tend to be pretty knowledgeable of how to follow the law. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always mean you are safe.
While Holmes got off easy, there are plenty of cyclists that have received tickets and other punishments for arguing with officers over what is or isn’t the law around those parts. For cyclists that have gotten tickets for following the law, you may have legal recourse available to you. Contact us today.
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