Important Bicycle Safety Tips and Resources
With more and more people riding bikes as a means of transportation, exercise, and recreation, it’s crucial for drivers and riders to be extra careful and obey the rules of the road. These bicycle safety materials remind us there are “No Regrets When You Drive With Care” and when you follow these basic traffic guidelines:
- Share the road with bicyclists.
- Stop before turning right on red.
- Passing bicyclists too closely is dangerous and illegal. You must keep a minimum of 3 feet between you and the cyclist when following or passing.
- Focus on the road.
- Avoid aggressive driving.
- Obey the traffic laws, signals and speed limits.
Here is a summary of some of the Florida bike safety laws:
- Motorists can make a right turn while passing a bicyclist only if the bicyclist is a minimum of 20 feet from the intersection.
- Florida driver’s license exams will now include bicycle safety questions.
- Cyclists in groups of 10 or fewer can proceed through an intersection after coming to a complete stop. Motorists must let the last rider pass before proceeding.
- Motorists MUST obey the 3 feet passing law.
Drivers who do not obey the law could be subject to a non-criminal moving violation.
Bicycle Safety for Cyclists:
- Wear a helmet when biking. If a rider or passenger is under 16, they must wear a helmet that is properly fitted that securely fastens to the passenger’s head by a strap.
- Ride on the right side of the road, with the flow of traffic.
- Use bike lanes when available.
- Use hand signals when turning and obey all traffic signs and signals.
- Lighting equipment is required at night.
- You must have properly working brakes.
- Do not wear earbuds in both ears.
Free Resources
Social Media
Be a Community Traffic Safety Team “Virtual Volunteer”. Share these bike safety reminders on your social media accounts. Don’t forget to tag us! @trafficsafetyteam on Facebook and Instagram or @trafficsafetyfl on Twitter and Pinterest.
Bookmarks
Double-sided bicycle safety bookmarks are distributed to libraries throughout our community with bicycle safety tips for drivers and cyclists.
Tip Cards
Do you know what a “Sharrow” is? Many people have not seen them before and if they have, they really don’t know what it means. Throughout Florida there are these road markings in the middle of a lane showing a bicycle with two arrow lines above it. This is a Sharrow!
Flyers
Posters and flyers were distributed, including bicycle and pedestrian safety. Click here to view and print this Share the Road traffic safety flyer.
