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| Bicycling Safety for Beginners |
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2 Rules of the Road
Cyclists are required to obey the same rules as drivers. Since an adult
cyclist almost always has a driver's license, there is little reason
to go over these rules in detail, as most have actually learned the material,
but it is important to emphasize that bicyclists are required to obey these
rules and that the failure to obey these rules is a major contributing factor
for accidents. In particular, riding the wrong way, ignoring stop signs,
running red lights, and failure to observe right-of-way rules for lane changes
are major contributing factors in those accidents in which cyclists are at fault.
For younger cyclists and for the relatively few adults who have never had a
license, the California DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) maintains a web site.
In particular, the Driver's Handbook contains a section on
the rules of the road
that can serve as a good introduction.
The DMV's web site can be found by visiting the URL http://www.dmv.ca.gov/dmv.htm.
A list of DMV publications can be found by visiting the URL http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/pubs.htm.
A few traffic laws apply primarily to bicyclists. In the typical case, these can be summarized as follows.
- Cyclists must obey the same rules as drivers, and have the
same rights.
- When riding at speeds less than the normal speed of traffic,
a cyclist should nominally stay to the right, either in a
bike lane, or near the right side of the roadway. The roadway
is that portion of the road used for vehicular travel, so
there is no requirement to ride on a shoulder or to weave in
between parked cars, or to even ride in an area marked for
parking when no cars are parked there.
- The "stay to the right" and bikelane rules have numerous exceptions,
including preparing for a left turn, avoiding debris or other
hazards, passing slower bicyclists or vehicles, and approaching
a place where a right turn is permitted. As written, the latter
exception includes driveways, not just intersections.
- Bicyclists have to ride in the same direction as vehicular traffic,
both on and off the roadway (e.g., when on a shoulder), but
this requirement does not apply on sidewalks.
- Riding on a sidewalk may be subject to local regulations.
- Lights and reflectors must be used at night.
Keep in mind, however, that rules can vary from state to state. See the parallel presentation for details. In most cases, these differences are minor ones. The description above matches the rules for California.
