Riding bicycle on wrong side of the road (teenager, accident, daughter)

[aidxen]

I drove home yesterday and as I was driving along, I saw my 7 y.o. riding home from school and she was riding on the wrong side of the road.

Now what our kids do is ride on the concrete sidewalk / footpath along the side of a largish road but then when they turn into our street, there is no concrete footpath, so they ride on the road. This was where I saw her.

There is not much traffic in our street and our house is on the same side of the road as she was riding. So this had the advantage that she does not have to cross our road when coming home from school and a second advatage is that she can see on comming cars.

But I believe the law is that you should ride on the correct side of the road the same as the cars do.

Thoughts?

[JustJulia]

I think the laws for a specific area can vary. Some might say that a cyclist must travel with traffic, while others will say the cyclist should face oncoming traffic in order to see approaching cars. Check with your city code and DMV.

[wyoquilter]

I know in WY, Bicycles are considered a vehicle and thereby cyclists are to travel the same direction as traffic and follow all traffic laws, such as turn signals, stopping at all stop lights/signs and yeilding. They are also not supposed to ride on sidewalks. The cops are not overly strict with making sure all cyclists follow the law especially when it comes to kids riding on a sidewalk the wrong direction. But for all intents and purposes WY feels it is safer if cyclists travel the same direction as traffic, on the street and follow the same traffic laws as any other vehicle.

Now walking on a road without sidewalks, they feel it is better and safer if you walk against traffic.

[maciesmom]

I have always been taught (and it is the law in Colorado also) that cyclists travel with traffic not against it and follow all traffic rules/signals.

[mommytotwo]

Originally Posted by maciesmom

I have always been taught (and it is the law in Colorado also) that cyclists travel with traffic not against it and follow all traffic rules/signals.

I learned the same thing, though as a teenager, I always felt more comfortable with riding against traffic, I guess I felt that if I was about to be run over I'd like the chance to jump off the bicycle first.

[Puru]

Originally Posted by mommytotwo

I learned the same thing, though as a teenager, I always felt more comfortable with riding against traffic, I guess I felt that if I was about to be run over I'd like the chance to jump off the bicycle first.

That's how I am too. As a kid I never followed traffic laws and rode on whatever side of the road I pleased/on the incorrect side of the road. The only reason bikes are supposed to be ridden with the flow of traffic, as far as I know, is because they're considered vehicles. I don't know any cops who would stop a 7-year old because she's riding her bike on the wrong side of the road though, but perhaps just let your daughter know of the law for future reference.

[TouchOfWhimsy]

Please teach your children to ride on the RIGHT side of the road, with traffic.

I nearly hit a teenager many years ago. I was leaving a business on a busy road, and turning right out of the parking lot. I was stopped in the exit of the lot, waiting for a break in traffic coming from the left, so that's where I was looking. When a break finally came, I let off of the brake, and just as I was about to hit the gas, a teenager came flying down the road from my right. I slammed on the brakes and came within inches of hitting him! If I'd put my foot on the gas before I saw him, I would have definitely hit him. He did not seem fazed at all, just yelled "watch where you're going!" and kept on riding down the wrong side, but I was quite shaken!

While you should always look before driving forward, I think it's fairly common when making a right-hand turn to look towards the left while inching forward, anticipating the moment when you'll speed up and merge into traffic. Now I always look, of course!

Especially on busy roads, though, make sure your children (and yourself too!) ride on the right side, with traffic. A bike is not as visible as a car, and someone could easily hit them if they were looking towards the left, not expecting a vehicle to be coming down the wrong lane.

[Jackyfrost01]

I wouldn't let my 7 y.o. anywhere near a busy rode, especially alone.

[Lacerta]

I hope the 7 year old is riding a very short distance through a neighborhood and doesn't have to cross any busy streets outside of a school crosswalk with a crossing guard. My mom still freaked out when I went to the bus stop down the street at age 7.

As a child, before you learn to drive, you feel safer riding against traffic.

As a teenager, you think you own the road, so if you are on a bike, all drivers are idiots and if you are in a car, all cyclists should get off the roads.

As an adult driver or cyclist, you realize that the safest place to be is where other drivers expect you to be, which is flowing with traffic.


In addition, think about this situation and which you would prefer to have happen. A cyclist is riding on the shoulder of the road with no sidewalk, with traffic. If a driver gets to a place where they can't pass, it is easy to slow down and stay behind the cyclist until it is safe to pass. If the cyclist is going against traffic, the driver has no chance to react and nowhere to go. The cyclist is much more likely to be hit in this case.

If the child is going to ride against traffic, they should be on the sidewalk, and they should stop at every single intersection and either yield or make absolutely sure that any drivers see them.

[haggardhouseelf]

If you are riding your bike on the street, you should always follow the rules of the road. Regardless. it's a major safety issue. If an accident were to happen, and you (or your child) are not following traffic rules, you could be found to be at fault and held liable - even if you (or your child) were the ones who suffered the greatest amount of harm during the accident.

We do a lot of bike riding, and there are times when there are no sidewalks or bike lanes, so we must ride in the street, sharing lanes with cars. We always ride with traffic. It's so dangerous when people do not follow the rules.

Imagine this: a biker following the rules... sandwiched between a curb/side of the road on the right and cars passing on the left... and then here comes a negligent biker not following the rules heading straight for you, going the wrong way. What are you supposed to do then? This actually happened to me on a bridge once, it was very scary. I ended up stopping, because I couldn't go left or right to get around, and I couldn't go forward because of the oncoming biker... and then they stopped, stuck as well... and we had to wait for a break in traffic until they could finally go around. I wasn't about to stick my neck out into traffic and go around - I was the one going the correct way.

Many bikers feel that they are somehow superior and deserve more respect than people driving cars. But my train of thought is - cars are way bigger than bikes, and move much faster. We people on bikes need to watch out for them and respect their rules. As a driver, too, I know how hard it is sometimes to see bikers coming up along beside you. As a biker, you really need to be aware and not assume that the cars are watching out for you. You have to watch out for yourself - and follow the rules of the road that everyone using the roads must (should!) follow.