Laws on Bicycle Safety

Transcript: Hi I’m David Holub, and this video will be about bicycle safety in the state of Indiana. In Indiana both children and adults must follow the rules of the road that automobiles would generally be required to follow. Plus there are some bicyclist rules that also must be followed and they are set forth in Indiana statutes. You can go to our website and we have on our blog page a full list of those statutes. But the key thing that I want to focus on is that children must be instructed by their parents on safe operation of bicycles. And, parents can be held responsible for the negiligence or failure to follow safe bicycle operating rules by their children. Now, most of the rules are common sense and we’ll just run through them in general. Number one, you may not carry more than one person on a bicycle if it is not equiped to specifically carry more than one person. People cannot be carried on a bicycle if they are not seated. A bicycle may not be pulled behind a car by a rope or other device. Bicylcists cannot ride more than to abreast on a roadway. Bicyclists cannot carry a package that would prevent them from putting both hands on the handlebars. Bicylcists must have a bicycle that is equipped with a white light in the front and a red reflector in the back if they are going to be operating after sunset that if visible up to 500 feet. There must also be an audible bell or other audible device which can be heard up to 100 feet. Lastly bicycles must be equipped with brakes that can stop them on clean dry surfaces. These are just some general safety points, and again go to our website for more information.