Citrus County Sheriff's Office issued the following announcement on Oct. 21.
Are cyclists considered pedestrians? It depends on the situation.
In Florida, bicycles are considered vehicles and must abide by the same traffic laws as the drivers of other vehicles do; which includes stopping at stop bars, stop signs, and red traffic lights. That being said, we are fortunate to have a few bike paths within our county.
Per Florida state statute 316.2065, a person propelling a vehicle by human power upon and along a sidewalk or crosswalk has all the rights and duties of a pedestrian.
This means that if you're a bicyclist within a crosswalk, you have right of way! You're of course expected to be careful while crossing and avoid crossing in front of a vehicle.
Signs, signals, and markings should be used to communicate who has the right of way. Unfortunately, these signs are sometimes ignored, and the person cycling or driving believes they can outrun the other, which is when collisions occur.
Florida statute 316.130 states that any vehicle (including cars, trucks, golf carts, & bicycles) approaching a pedestrian or bicyclist crossing the street in a designated crosswalk must yield or stop to allow the person or cyclist to cross. When not within a crosswalk, bicyclists and pedestrians must yield to vehicles within the roadway.
By failing to yield, drivers face a fine, citation, three points on their driver’s license, and of course, risk everyone's safety. Distracted driving leads to additional fines, citations, and points on your license. Just Drive, Citrus!
Original source can be found here.
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