Cycling In Florida: Your Bike Is A Vehicle, And You Are A Driver

Here’s an interesting question to ask your cyclist friends from Florida: True or false: if you ride a bicycle in Florida, your bicycle is legally defined as a vehicle.

The short answer to that question is: true. A bicycle is legally defined as a vehicle in Florida, and a bicyclist is a driver. Because of this classification, bicyclists in Florida have the same rights to the roadways as drivers of automobiles. However, this also means that bicyclists need to obey the same traffic laws as other drivers.

Follow Traffic Rules And Right Of Way

You can ride your bike on the roads and bike lanes in Florida and on sidewalks. However, when riding your bike on the road, you need to follow the same traffic rules. So, you need to ride with traffic, obey traffic signals and lights, signal before turning or stopping and yield to pedestrians’ right of way.

While pedestrians have the right of way over cyclists, cyclists have the right of way over cars. So, at a four-way stop, you have the right of way and show go forward first.

There are bike lanes in Florida, and if there is a bike lane available, cyclists are encouraged to use them.

You Are A Pedestrian On The Sidewalks

If there is no bike lane and you choose to ride on the sidewalk, by Florida’s definition, you become a pedestrian. However, bike riders need to yield to actual pedestrians when using the sidewalk.

A biker on the sidewalk in Florida needs to audibly let other pedestrians know when they are turning or stopping. They should also use hand signals and lights to let people know their movements to prevent accidents. Cyclists on the sidewalk should not block other pedestrians.

Overall, Florida is a bicycle-friendly state that provides a safe environment for cyclists to share the road.