A new study has analyzed the severity of bicycle laws across all 50 states, with California ranking fifth for the strictest laws.
Ohio personal injury lawyer John Fitch scored states on 13 different categories of bicycle laws. Each law was scored on a 10-point scale and then normalized to create a final score out of 100.
California ranked fifth overall, with a total score of 31.13.
The top five strictest law categories in the state are distracted driving laws, “where to ride” laws, safe passing laws, “dooring” laws, and the authorization for local regulation.
The state has the strictest distracted driving laws in the US. In California, it’s illegal to drive while texting or using a phone unless it’s hands-free. Drivers under 18 aren’t allowed to use a phone at all, even with a hands-free setup. It’s also against the law for anyone to use a phone while driving a school bus or transit vehicle.
While these laws primarily target drivers, distracted driving is a major cause of accidents involving cyclists. Cyclists benefit from these laws because they help reduce the risk of collisions caused by drivers not paying attention to the road.
“Where to ride” laws require cyclists who are travelling slower than traffic to ride as far to the right as possible. However, there are some exceptions, for example when passing another bicycle or vehicle going in the same direction, avoiding unsafe conditions like a narrow lane that doesn’t allow for safe travel alongside a vehicle, or turning left.
In terms of safe passing laws, drivers must maintain at least three feet of distance when passing a bicycle going in the same direction. If a driver can’t pass a bicycle with three feet of space, they may slow down and pass carefully as long as it doesn’t endanger the cyclist’s safety.
“Dooring” laws state that it’s illegal to open a car door into traffic unless it’s safe and won’t block other vehicles. Doors on the side of traffic must not be left open longer than needed to pick up or drop off passengers. This law is designed to protect cyclists from one of the most common and dangerous types of crashes, i.e. when someone inside a parked car opens a door directly into the path of a cyclist, causing a collision.
The authorization for local regulation allows local authorities in California to create their own rules for bicycles, as long as these rules don’t conflict with state laws. This helps cyclists by letting cities tailor regulations to fit their needs, improving safety and organization.
Commenting on the findings, a spokesperson from John Fitch said, “In 2022, California reported 177 bicyclist fatalities, with Yuba County having the highest number of fatalities per 100,000 population at 3.6.
“Although the state does rank highly overall, there are some laws that would benefit from being reassessed. For example, California’s lack of specific law about sidewalk riding creates confusion on where cyclists can ride. They could potentially collide with people walking, switch unpredictably between the sidewalk and the street, making it harder for drivers to anticipate their movements, or be hidden from drivers’ view.
“What is positive to see though, is the commitment to making California safer for cyclists. Over the next four years, the state will invest almost $1 billion in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, hopefully improving safety for everyone.”
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Methodology and Sources
Bike laws for each state were obtained from Bike League.
Each law was given a score out of ten using a rubric that determined the clarity, strictness and level of enforcement in each state.
The laws were given a weighting within the analysis, and a final score out of 100 was given to reveal the ranking.
Laws included:
- Safe Passing Laws
- Helmet Law
- Share the Road License Plates
- Vulnerable Road User Laws
- Distracted Driving Laws
- Where to Ride
- Sidewalk Riding
- Mandatory Use of Separated Facilities
- Bicycling Under the Influence
- Idaho Stop/Vehicle Detection Errors
- Authorization for Local Regulation
- Dooring Law
- Treatment as a Vehicle
For more information, visit https://www.johnfitch.com/