Recently, the Nevada Highway Patrol participated in an enforcement initiative identifying motorists who committed traffic violations when sharing the road with bicyclists. During this enforcement period NHP Troopers observed over two hundred violations.
Motorists were stopped and educated on the laws pertaining to vehicles sharing the roadway with bicycles.
In an effort to increase awareness, the NHP will be looking for traffic violations committed by bicyclists. Some of the most common violations committed by bicyclists include; not stopping at stop signs, disobeying traffic signal lights, and riding against the flow of traffic.
Bicyclists are required to follow the same rules of the road as motorists and sharing the roadways safely and responsibly is one way to avoid a traffic collision or a citation.
Some less known Nevada Revised Statues (NRS) that are commonly overlooked by bicyclists may include;
NRS 484B.777, which states that every person operating a bicycle on a roadway shall;
*Ride as near to the right side of the roadway as practicable
*Persons riding bicycles upon a roadway shall not ride more than 2 abreast, except on paths and roadways designated especially for bicycle useNRS 484B.783, which states that every bicycle when in use at night must be equipped with:
*A lamp that emits white light which must be visible for 500 feet to the front
*A red reflector on the rear of the bicycle which must be visible from 50-300 feet
With the warmer weather ahead, it is inevitable that more bicyclists will be utilizing roadways for commuting and recreation. Let’s ensure that as motorists and bicyclists we educate ourselves and obey laws keeping all of our travelers safe.