Georgia Legislature Passes Bike Safety Law

Decatur cyclists are ecstatic that the Georgia Legislature Thursday passed a law requiring motorists to leave at least three feet when passing cyclists, legalizes the use of recumbent bicycles, further defines bike lanes and updated bike equipment requirements.

Decatur Mayor Bill Floyd, Decatur Commissioner Fred Boykin, other city officials and thousands of cyclists rode to the Georgia Capitol in March to lobby for the law, House Bill 101, which must be signed by the governor to go into effect.

Henry Slack of the Bike Decatur group sent an email around urging fellow cyclists to write to the governor, using a link provided by the League of American Bicyclists.

Kenneth Rosskopf of Decatur said "bicycles are road users, but they're more exposed." Rosskopf, an attorney, often represents bicyclists who have been injured when a motorist strikes them with a side mirror.

"This law, if it is signed, gives cyclists a little more teeth to get compensation for their injuries," said Rosskopf, who hopes provisions of the new law will be included in motorist's handbooks.

Brent Buice, executive director of Georgia Bikes, a cycling advocacy group, says the new law requiring motorists to yield at least three feet to cyclists when passing them “is tremendous news” for the state’s cyclists.

“Three feet is important for educational purposes, for law enforcement to define what a safe passing distance is,” explained Buice. “Previously, it wasn’t defined. “A yardstick is easily referenced.”

The new law also means that if a motorist hits a cyclist, the motorist may be charged with a misdemeanor, instead of a fine, Buice said.

The law reiterates that bicyclists are obligated to obey all traffic laws relating to vehicles, but specifies some things for bicyclists. The law makes it legal for a bicycle to travel on a paved shoulder, while not requiring a cyclist to ride on a shoulder. Cyclists can signal a right turn “with his or her right arm and hand extended horizontally or with his or her left hand and arm extended upward.”

The law prohibits bicyclists from transporting children under the age of one as a passenger in a bicyclist unless the child is in a “bicycle trailer or in an infant sling” according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Bicyclists are still required to ride as “as near to the right side of the roadway as practicable,” but the law adds some exceptions. Bicyclists may move to the left or middle of the road when turning left, avoiding hazards, the lane is too narrow to share safely with a motor vehicle or if the bike is going the same speed as motorized traffic.

The law allows bicyclists to move to the center of the lane to avoid such “hazards to safe cycling” as “surface debris, rough pavement, drain grates which are parallel to the side of the roadway, parked or stopped vehicles, potentially opening car doors, or any other objects which threaten the safety of a person operating a bicycle.”

Cyclists riding in bike lanes will be required to ride in the same direction as traffic on the roadway, and the law allows electric-assisted bicycles to operate on bike paths.

Bicyclists riding at night will be required to have a white front headlight visible from at least 300 feet away, and a rear red light, also visible for at least 300 feet, or a red rear reflector approved by the Georgia Department of Public Safety.

Helmets are mandatory for all riders age 16 and under, even when riding on bike paths or lanes.

The new law strikes a provision that required bike pedals to be equipped with reflectors, since many avid cyclists ride with clipless pedals that lock into shoe-mounted cleats, and don’t have reflectors.