Bicyclists

By the end of this topic you can

• You can pass a bicyclist with plenty of side space and only when it is safe.
• You can enter a bike lane only where your state allows it, such as just before a right turn.
• You can check for bicyclists before turning right and before opening your door.
• You can predict common bicyclist movements, such as moving left to avoid hazards.

What you need to know and understand

• Bicyclists may ride in the traffic lane, and may move away from the edge to avoid parked cars, debris or a lane too narrow to share.
• Many states set a minimum passing distance in law, and the figure varies: check your state manual.
• California, for example, requires at least 3 feet between your car and the rider when you cannot change lanes to pass.
• Bike lanes are for bicyclists. Drivers may enter them only for limited reasons, such as turning, parking or entering the road, where state law allows.
• California lets drivers enter a bike lane no more than 200 feet before starting a turn; other states set their own rules, and some, such as New York, bar drivers from bike lanes.
• A right turn across a bicyclist's path, and a door opened into a rider, are two of the most common car-bike crashes.

Giving riders enough room

Slow down as you come up behind a bicyclist and wait until the oncoming lane is clear. Move over as far as you safely can, using part of the next lane if the road markings and traffic allow it. A rider can wobble, hit a pothole or be pushed by wind from a passing truck, so extra room is your safety margin.

If you cannot pass with enough space, stay back and wait. A few seconds behind a bike rarely matters, and passing too close can be against the law as well as dangerous.

Bike lanes and right turns

Never speed up past a rider and then cut right in front of them. That 'right hook' leaves the rider no time to stop.

1. Check your mirror and look over your right shoulder well before the turn.
2. Signal your right turn early.
3. If your state allows it, merge into the bike lane close to the corner, only when no bicyclist is there.
4. If a bicyclist is beside or just behind you, let them go first.
5. Make the turn from as close to the right edge as is safe.

Parking, doors and night riders

• Before opening a door on the traffic side, check your mirror and turn to look for bicyclists. Many people open the door with the far hand, which makes you turn and look naturally.
• Look for bicyclists when pulling out of driveways and parking spaces.
• At night, riders may only show a small light or reflector. Scan the road edges and dim high beams for an approaching rider.
• Do not honk close behind a rider: the noise can startle them into a fall.

Common mistakes

• Squeezing past a rider in the same lane with oncoming traffic: wait until you can give proper room.
• Turning right across a bike lane without a shoulder check: always look before you turn.
• Opening a car door without looking back: check mirror and shoulder every time.
• Driving or parking in a bike lane where it is not allowed: treat it like a separate lane.
• Assuming a bicyclist will stay at the curb: expect them to move left around hazards.

Test yourself: Bicyclists

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• Truck No-Zones, Bike Passing and Motorcycles