Increasing Understanding of the Rules of the Road with Bike Law Spoke Cards

You may think you know the Rules of the Road, but who among us hasn't been yelled at by someone with a different understanding of these Rules?

Which is more common for bicyclists to hear, "Get off the road!" or "Get off the sidewalk!"? Both are probably wrong. That's why Washington Bike Law provides FREE Spoke Cards with the Key Rules of the Road for Bicycling. Just ask us for one.

Wouldn't you like to be right? Better still, wouldn't you want to feel safer on the road knowing that more people understood the Rules of the Road? Washington Bike Law wants to help.

Truth be told, people who yell at bicyclists for perceived legal violations are unlikely to be persuaded by a card stuck in your bike's spokes. But Washington Bike Law's Spoke Cards also have citations to applicable laws in the Seattle Municipal Code (SMC) and the Revised Code of Washington (RCW).

How can you convince a yeller that what you say is the law really is the law? Perhaps you can encourage them to Google it. How many yellers had their phones in their hands anyway?

The hard part is communicating with a guy in a hermetically sealed box who just lowered his electric window to yell at you. "Excuse me sir," you might begin, "I understand that you believe that I've done something illegal, but I..."  Perhaps his window raises, or he just speeds off.

Occasionally, though, people in cars do talk to people on bikes after these run-ins, and it is possible for everyone to feel better afterwards.

One strategy is to not approach the yellers with your legal rights, but instead start by acknowledging your physical vulnerability.  "Hey," you might say, "that was really scary for me when you drove so close."

Educating people to be safe drivers around people walking or riding on bicycles begins with drivers understanding how we are more vulnerable than people inside a sealed cage protected by bumpers, seatbelts and airbags.

Many drivers don't know what aggressive (or oblivious) driving feels like on a bike. Even a honk of the horn from a friend driving by can be startling.

A point that's often missed by Bike Skeptics is that bicycling is not only healthy, it's also safe. It's the interaction with motor vehicles that results in most injuries and deaths. So, the problem isn't bicycling, it's these interactions.

Many bicyclists are hyper-vigilant because of genuine safety concerns. Unfortunately, this hyper-vigilance often results in yelling or "finger gestures" by bicyclists who feel endangered by drivers.

Instead of yelling (or yelling back), try "turning the other cheek" and pulling out your Spoke Card. Take this break to calm down and then ride on. Perhaps you'll meet the dangerous driver at the next intersection, with the law in your hand.

Sometimes the safest strategy is to just ignore volatile people armed with motor vehicles. But many dangerous drivers are simply oblivious- these drivers should be your education targets.

If they didn't know they almost caused a crash, they may genuinely feel bad when you tell them how scared you were. From there you might even be able to explain the law (and provide legal citations). Be nice and you might even make someone a safer driver.

Washington Bike Law's Spoke Cards are especially useful if you've been in a bicycle versus motor vehicle collision and a police officer incorrectly thinks the crash was your fault. Washington Bike Law is working to educate Police Officers on the Rules of the Road for Bicyclists. Too many people who are supposed to be enforcing the Rules of the Road don't fully understand them.

Unfortunately, many injured bicyclists never get a chance to talk with police at crash scenes because they are taken away by ambulance and the driver is the only one there to say what happened. Drivers almost always say, "the bicyclist came out of nowhere." Some investigating officers write injured bicyclists' tickets without even talking to them.

Unfortunately, many injured bicyclists never get a chance to talk with police at crash scenes because they are taken away by ambulance and the driver is the only one there to say what happened. Drivers almost always say, "the bicyclist came out of nowhere." Some investigating officers write injured bicyclists' tickets without even talking to them.

This following scenario is certainly a stretch, but it is not beyond the realm of possibilities: You could be in car crash and are taken away by ambulance. A cop examines your bike for impact damage and sees your Washington Bike Law Spoke Card. "Hey," thinks this cop, "maybe this crash wasn't caused by an inattentive bicyclist running into a car door", I seem to recall a law about not opening a door until it is safe..."

We hope that you are never doored... but if you are, there is a slight possibility that a Washington Bike Law Spoke Card could prevent a police officer from adding insult to injury. And, regardless of what you are told on the road, the law may very well be on your side.

Washington Bike Law's Statewide Spoke Cards provide the following Summary of Key Bike Laws (click the RCW links below for the full text):

Car Doors: Shall not be opened until "reasonably safe" and "without interfering with the movement of other traffic". RCW 46.61.620

Stop Signs: Bicyclists may treat most as yield signs, except on school buses and railroad crossings. RCW 46.61.190

Stop Lights: If a vehicle detection device "fails to operate after one cycle" after stopping, bicyclists may proceed "with due care". RCW 46.61.184

Sidewalks: Some cities prohibit riding on sidewalks, but drivers must still yield the right-of-way to bicyclists. RCW 46.61.261(1)

Crosswalks (Marked or Not): Drivers "shall stop and remain stopped" for bicyclists "within one lane of the half of the roadway" the driver is on or turning onto. When a driver stops for a crosswalk user, other drivers "shall not" pass from behind. RCW 46.61.235

Passing in an Oncoming Traffic Lane: Prohibited when drivers are "within a distance unsafe to the bicyclist". RCW 46.61.125(1)(d)

Passing Anywhere: Drivers must slow to a "safe speed for passing relative to" the bicyclist's speed, stay "a safe distance, where practicable of at least three feet" and "shall not" move right "until safely clear". RCW 46.61.110(2)

Washington Bike Law's Seattle Spoke Cards provide the following Summary of Key Bike Laws (click the SMC links below for the full text):

Bike Lanes: Drivers "shall not drive in a bicycle lane except to execute a turning maneuver, yielding to all persons riding bicycles thereon." SMC 11.53.190

Marked Bicycle Crossings: Drivers "shall yield the right-of-way" to bicyclists on the same side of the road, or when bicyclists are approaching from the opposite side of the road "as to be in danger." SMC 11.53.195

Passing on the Right: Bicyclists may "overtake and pass a vehicle or a bicycle upon the right … under conditions permitting such movement in safety." SMC 11.44.080

Sidewalks: Bicyclists may ride on sidewalks but must yield to pedestrians and "give an audible signal" before passing. Class 3 ebikes are not permitted on sidewalks "unless there is no alternative to travel over a sidewalk as part of a bicycle or pedestrian path." SMC 11.44.120

Duties After a Crash: Drivers shall stop and provide bicyclists their name, address, insurance company and policy number, vehicle and driver's licenses. If requested, drivers must render "reasonable assistance" including transportation for medical care. SMC 11.56.450

 

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Washington Bike Law's Waterproof Spoke Cards are free for the asking. Email: info@washingtonbikelaw.com Subject: Bike Law Spoke Cards Request.