Bicycle riding has become more popular in recent years for a variety of reasons. Typically, bicyclists are looking to spend less money on transportation, get in better shape, or improve their environmental footprint. As more bikes share the roads with other vehicles, knowledge of bicycle laws by bicyclists and car drivers alike becomes increasingly important.

West Virginia has some of the easiest bicycle laws to understand. But just because they are easy to understand doesn’t mean everyone knows them. If you ride a bike or drive a different type of vehicle regularly, you should be familiar with these laws to prevent any bicycle accidents or other injuries on the road. 

Accidents can still happen, and when they do, it is important to notify your loved ones and an expert who can asses you moving forward. A bicycle accident lawyer can help assess your case and guide you through your legal process to seek compensation for your pain and suffering. 

Bicycles Are Classified as Vehicles

The most important thing to understand about bicycle regulations is that bicycles are classified as vehicles under West Virginia law. This means that most traffic laws apply to bicycles. 

Typically, the only exceptions to this involve laws that refer specifically to equipment. For example, bicycles are not required to have window wipers, but they do have their own equipment requirements.

Equipment

The statute regulating bicycle equipment contains two major clauses. One of the two clauses requires bicycles to be equipped with brakes that can bring the bike to a halt on dry, level pavement. Every bike sold by licensed merchants has brakes. You can only violate this law if you remove your brakes or buy a used bike that lacks them.

The second part of the law applies to nighttime riding. While riding at night, you are required to have several pieces of equipment. On the front of your bike, you must have a light that emits white light that is visible at least 500 feet in front of your vehicle.

Furthermore, you must have a red reflector or a red light lamp on the rear of your bicycle. If you have a red reflector, it must be visible between 50 feet and 300 feet when in the beams of a vehicle’s headlamp. Alternatively, if you have a red light lamp, it must emit light that is visible at least 500 feet behind the bike.

Helmets

If produced after a certain year, cars are required to have significant safety equipment, including seat belts and airbags. Bicycles are similarly regulated, but helmets are the only safety equipment required on bikes aside from brakes and lights, and only if the rider is 14 years old or younger.

Anyone who is at least 15 years old is allowed to choose whether to wear a helmet. Furthermore, there is no civil penalty for refusing to wear a helmet and refusing to wear a helmet cannot be used as evidence of negligence by the rider in court.

Riding Abreast

One of the few laws that differs significantly for bicyclists is that they can ride two abreast on public roadways. Cars and trucks may not share a lane. Additionally, bikes cannot share a lane with a car or truck.

However, bicyclists may not ride three abreast or more on public roadways. This is only allowed on paths specifically designated for bikes if they are large enough.

Riding On Public Roadways

Since bicycles are considered vehicles under West Virginia laws, they must follow nearly all regulations that apply to cars and trucks. For example, a bicyclist must:

  • Travel in the same direction as the rest of the traffic
  • Stop at stop signs and red lights
  • Use the same hand signals that car and truck drivers are expected to use when their signals aren’t functioning
  • Yield to other vehicles when turning left
  • Yield to pedestrians in crosswalks
  • Pull over and stop when emergency vehicles are approaching with sirens or lights

While riding on public roadways, bicyclists are further expected to remain as far to the right side of the road as possible. However, this doesn’t mean they don’t have the right to use the entire lane. If staying to the right is dangerous, they may use any portion of the lane necessary to ride safely.

Other vehicles need to respect the right of the bike to use the entire lane when needed. While there are circumstances where a car or truck can legally pass someone on a bike, they can not share the lane with the bicyclist just because they are staying to the right.

Where Bikes Can And Can’t Ride

While bicycles are allowed on roadways, they are not allowed on major highways. Cars traveling on these roads move at speeds that are unsafe for bicycles. Conversely, while cars cannot legally drive on sidewalks, bicyclists can use sidewalks. However, bicyclists must ride carefully to avoid injuring pedestrians who also use these walkways.

Riding Under The Influence

Laws for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs apply to any person who drives a vehicle while in an impaired state, including bicyclists.

While a bicyclist is much less likely to get into a serious accident while riding a bike while drunk, the law still applies, and the bicyclist can be subject to all penalties. These penalties are pretty serious. If you are convicted of a first-time DUI, you could spend up to six months in jail, be fined up to $1,000, and have your license suspended if you have one.

Typically, this means you can’t ride a bike if you have had more than one drink within the past hour. You may, however, walk your bike to another location. As long as you don’t sit on the seat, you can move your bike while intoxicated.

West Virginia Bicycle Laws Save Lives

While bicycles are legally allowed to share the same roads as larger vehicles, they face significant risks, as car and truck drivers can easily overlook bicyclists. Bicycles are much smaller than cars and trucks and lack many of the safety features found in motor vehicles. However, when all road users follow traffic laws, the likelihood of a bicycle accident can be significantly reduced.