In El Dorado, many people ride their bikes as a means of transportation around the city, and others ride their bicycles for exercising and sightseeing.
Bike Laws in Arkansas
Before mounting your bicycle to ride around El Dorado, you should know the bicycle laws in place for Arkansas so you know you’re biking as safely as possible. They’re also helpful so you can recognize when motorists aren’t following the rules they must abide by to keep bicyclists safe. When you’ve been in a bicycle accident caused by a motorist, the first thing your lawyer will do is look into the situation to see if all parties involved were following the rules of the road pertaining to bicyclists. When one of these laws is broken, it could lead to your bicycle accident lawyer proving that the other party who broke the law is at fault for what happened. According to Arkansas Code, here are the bike laws that bicyclists and motorists must follow:
- Bicyclists must ride on the right side of the road and cannot ride on the sidewalk.
- Bicyclists must follow all traffic signals and signs.
- Bicyclists must yield to traffic when they’re on larger roads.
- When changing lanes, bicyclists must yield to other drivers.
- Bicyclists are expected to use hand signals unless they need both hands on the handlebars.
- At night, bicycles must have a white headlight and red taillight. The red taillight can be replaced with a red reflector.
- Bicycle helmets are not required for adults or children.
- Motorists must maintain a safe distance when overtaking a cyclist.
- Motorists cannot open their car door when a bicyclist is approaching.
Motorists can get many other violations for breaking the law while driving near bicyclists, but the two listed are the most applicable to cyclists specifically. If the driver of a motor vehicle breaks the rules of the road and strikes you when you follow all the bicycle safety laws, you could take legal action against them.
One of our El Dorado bicycle accident lawyers is here to help you get compensation for the injuries and other damages that you’ve suffered at the hands of a negligent driver. You shouldn’t have to pay for the bills that they’ve caused you. We will fight to prove they were at fault so that you can recover financially from their wrongdoing.