When you are riding a bicycle, especially near crowded areas like the LSU campus, you must take care to obey all traffic laws. As a bicyclist, you are far more vulnerable to injury in a traffic accident.
It could be more difficult to recover damages if you were not obeying traffic laws at the time. Here are some of the traffic laws you should look out for as a bicyclist:
Use the correct traffic lane
In general, where designated bicycle lanes are available, you must ride in them. Otherwise, cyclists must ride on the right side of the road. In general you must ride as far to the right of the lane as practical. You are allowed to move to the left to use a turning lane, enter or leave a parking lot or in other situations where you are moving to the left.
Do not ride on the sidewalks
Do not ride on sidewalks or other surfaces meant for pedestrians. You could be liable for injuring them, and you stand a greater chance of a motorist not seeing you and injuring you.
Do not speed
It may seem impossible for a cyclist to speed, but you can easily exceed a posted speed limit going downhill, especially in areas with low speed limits. If you do so, you can receive a ticket and be liable or considered negligent in the event of an accident.
Do not run red lights or stop signs
It is often tempting for a cyclist to run red lights or stop signs. You may feel that you can see more easily than a motorist, and it is sometimes inconvenient to put your feet down for a full stop. However, if you do not stop you increase your chance of injury and a court may find you liable or negligent if a car struck you.
Ride your bicycle much like you would a car and observe all traffic laws. This goes a long way toward keeping you safe on your bike.
