Road & Intersection Information
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Here's what the California Vehicle Code says. We've made bold the sections we think are most important to bicyclists.
To see what the law says about any of the following,
just click on a topic.
Bicyclists rights
Riding on the right
Riding in bicycle lanes
Helmets
Signaling turns and stops
Lights at night
Don't want to take our word for it? Check out the official government site.
SECTIONS 21200-21212 and 22111
21200.
(a) Every person riding a bicycle upon a highway
has all the rights and is subject to all the provisions applicable to
the driver of a vehicle by this division, including, but not limited
to, provisions concerning driving under the influence of alcoholic beverages
or drugs, and by Division 10 (commencing with Section 20000), Section
27400, Division 16.7 (commencing with Section 39000), Division 17 (commencing
with Section 40000.1), and Division 18 (commencing with Section 42000),
except those provisions which by their very nature can have no application.
(b) (1) Any peace officer, as defined in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with
Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2 of the Penal Code, operating a bicycle
during the course of his or her duties is exempt from the
requirements of subdivision (a), except as those requirements relate to
driving under the influence of alcoholic beverages or drugs, if the bicycle
is being operated under any of the following
circumstances:
(A) In response to an emergency call.
(B) While engaged in rescue operations.
(C) In the immediate pursuit of an actual or suspected violator of the
law.
(2) This subdivision does not relieve a peace officer from the duty to
operate a bicycle with due regard for the safety of all persons using
the highway.
21200.5. Notwithstanding Section 21200, it is unlawful for any person
to ride a bicycle upon a highway while under the influence of an alcoholic
beverage or any drug, or under the combined influence of an alcoholic
beverage and any drug. Any person arrested for a violation of this section
may request to have a chemical test made of the person's blood, breath,
or urine for the purpose of determining
the alcoholic or drug content of that person's blood, and, if so requested,
the arresting officer shall have the test performed. A conviction of a
violation of this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than
two hundred fifty dollars ($250). Violations of this section are subject
to Section 13202.5.
21201.
(a) No person shall operate a bicycle on a roadway unless it is equipped
with a brake which will enable the operator to make one braked wheel skid
on dry, level, clean pavement.
(b) No person shall operate on the highway any bicycle equipped with handlebars
so raised that the operator must elevate his hands above the level of
his shoulders in order to grasp the normal
steering grip area.
(c) No person shall operate upon any highway a bicycle which is of such
a size as to prevent the operator from safely stopping the bicycle, supporting
it in an upright position with at least one foot on the ground, and restarting
it in a safe manner.
(d) Every bicycle operated upon any highway during
darkness shall be equipped (1) with a lamp emitting a white light which,
while the bicycle is in motion, illuminates the highway in front of the
bicyclist and is visible from a distance of 300 feet in front and from
the sides of the bicycle; (2) with a red reflector on the rear which shall
be visible from a distance of 500 feet to the rear when directly in front
of lawful upper beams of headlamps on a motor vehicle; (3) with a white
or yellow reflector on each pedal visible from the front and rear of the
bicycle from a distance of 200 feet; and (4) with a white or yellow reflector
on each side forward of the center of the bicycle, and with a white or
red reflector on each side to the rear of the center of the bicycle, except
that bicycles which are equipped with reflectorized tires on the front
and the rear need not be equipped with these side reflectors. Such reflectors
and reflectorized tires shall be of a type meeting requirements established
by the department.
(e) A lamp or lamp combination, emitting a white light, attached to the
operator and visible from a distance of 300 feet in front and from the
sides of the bicycle, may be used in lieu of the lamp required by clause
(1) of subdivision (d).
21201.5.
(a) No person shall sell, or offer for sale, a reflex reflector or reflectorized
tire of a type required on a bicycle unless it meets requirements established
by the department. If there exists a federal Consumer Product Safety Commission
regulation applicable to bicycle reflectors, the provisions of that regulation
shall prevail over provisions of this code or requirements established
by the department pursuant to this code relative to bicycle reflectors.
(b) No person shall sell, or offer for sale, a new bicycle that is not
equipped with a red reflector on the rear, a white or yellow reflector
on each pedal visible from the front and rear of the bicycle, a white
or yellow reflector on each side forward of the center of the bicycle,
and a white or red reflector on each side to
the rear of the center of the bicycle, except that bicycles which are
equipped with reflectorized tires on the front and rear need not be equipped
with these side reflectors.
(c) Area reflectorizing material meeting the requirements of Section 25500
may be used on a bicycle.
21202.
(a) Any person operating a bicycle upon a roadway
at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic moving in the same direction
at that time shall ride as close as practicable to the right-hand curb
or edge of the roadway except
under any of the following situations:
(1) When overtaking and passing another bicycle
or vehicle proceeding in the same direction.
(2) When preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private
road or driveway.
(3) When reasonably necessary to avoid conditions (including, but not
limited to, fixed or moving objects, vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians,
animals, surface hazards, or substandard width lanes) that make it unsafe
to continue along the right-hand curb or edge, subject to the provisions
of Section 21656. For purposes of this section, a "substandard width
lane" is a lane that is too narrow for a bicycle and a vehicle to
travel safely side by side within the lane.
(4) When approaching a place where a right turn is authorized.
(b) Any person operating a bicycle upon a roadway of a highway, which
highway carries traffic in one direction only and has two or more marked
traffic lanes, may ride as near the left-hand curb or edge of that roadway
as practicable.
21203.
No person riding upon any motorcycle, motorized bicycle, bicycle, coaster,
roller skates, sled, or toy vehicle shall attach the same or himself to
any streetcar or vehicle on the roadway.
21204.
(a) No person operating a bicycle upon a highway shall ride other than
upon or astride a permanent and regular seat attached
thereto.
(b) No operator shall allow a person riding as a passenger, and no person
shall ride as a passenger, on a bicycle upon a highway other than upon
or astride a separate seat attached thereto. If the passenger is four
years of age or younger, or weighs 40 pounds or less, the seat shall have
adequate provision for retaining the passenger in place and for protecting
the passenger from the moving parts of the bicycle.
21205.
No person operating a bicycle shall carry any package, bundle or article
which prevents the operator from keeping at least one hand upon the handlebars.
21206. This chapter does not prevent local authorities, by ordinance,
from regulating the registration of bicycles and the parking and operation
of bicycles on pedestrian or bicycle facilities, provided such regulation
is not in conflict with the provisions of this code.
21207.
(a) This chapter does not prohibit local authorities from establishing,
by ordinance or resolution, bicycle lanes separated from any vehicular
lanes upon highways, other than state highways as defined in Section 24
of the Streets and Highways Code and county highways established pursuant
to Article 5 (commencing with Section 1720) of Chapter 9 of Division 2
of the Streets and Highways Code.
(b) Bicycle lanes established pursuant to this section shall be constructed
in compliance with Section 891 of the Streets and Highways Code.
21207.5. Notwithstanding Sections 21207 and 23127 of this code, or any
other provision of law, no motorized bicycle may be operated on a bicycle
path or trail, bikeway, bicycle lane established pursuant to
Section 21207, equestrian trail, or hiking or recreational trail, unless
it is within or adjacent to a roadway or
unless the local authority or the governing body of a public agency having
jurisdiction over such path or trail permits, by ordinance, such operation.
21208.
(a) Whenever a bicycle lane has been established
on a roadway pursuant to Section 21207, any person operating a bicycle
upon the roadway at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic moving
in the same direction at that time shall ride within the bicycle lane,
except that the person may move out of the lane under any of the following
situations:
(1) When overtaking and passing another bicycle,
vehicle, or pedestrian within the lane or about to enter the lane if the
overtaking and passing cannot be done safely within the lane.
(2) When preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private
road or driveway.
(3) When reasonably necessary to leave the bicycle
lane to avoid debris or other hazardous conditions.
(4) When approaching a place where a right turn is authorized.
(b) No person operating a bicycle shall leave a bicycle lane until the
movement can be made with reasonable safety and then only after giving
an appropriate signal in the manner provided in Chapter 6
(commencing with Section 22100) in the event that any vehicle may be affected
by the movement.
21209.
(a) No person shall drive a motor vehicle in a bicycle lane established
on a roadway pursuant to Section 21207 except as follows:
(1) To park where parking is permitted.
(2) To enter or leave the roadway.
(3) To prepare for a turn within a distance of 200 feet from the intersection.
(b) This section does not prohibit the use of a motorized bicycle in a
bicycle lane, pursuant to Section 21207.5, at a speed no greater than
is reasonable or prudent, having due regard for visibility, traffic conditions,
and the condition of the roadway surface of the bicycle lane, and in a
manner which does not endanger the safety of bicyclists.
21210.
No person shall leave a bicycle lying on its side on any sidewalk, or
shall park a bicycle on a sidewalk in any other position, so that there
is not an adequate path for pedestrian traffic. Local authorities may,
by ordinance or resolution, prohibit bicycle parking in designated areas
of the public highway, provided that appropriate signs are erected.
21211.
(a) No person shall stop, stand, sit, or loiter upon any class I bikeway,
as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 890.4 of the Streets and Highways
Code, or any other public or private bicycle path or trail, if the stopping,
standing, sitting, or loitering impedes or blocks the normal and reasonable
movement of any
bicyclist.
(b) No person shall place or park any bicycle, vehicle, or any other object
upon any bikeway or bicycle path or trail, as specified in subdivision
(a), which impedes or blocks the normal and reasonable movement of any
bicyclist unless the placement or parking is necessary for safe operation
or is otherwise in compliance with the law.
(c) This section does not apply to drivers or owners of utility or public
utility vehicles, as provided in Section 22512.
(d) This section does not apply to owners or drivers of vehicles who make
brief stops while engaged in the delivery of newspapers to customers along
the person's route.
21212.
(a) A person under 18 years of age shall not operate
a bicycle, or ride upon a bicycle as a passenger, upon a street, bikeway,
as defined in Section 890.4 of the Streets and Highways Code, or any other
public bicycle path or trail unless that person is wearing a properly
fitted and fastened bicycle helmet that meets the standards of
the American National Standards Institute (ANSI Z 90.4 bicycle helmet
standard), the Snell Memorial Foundation's Standard for Protective Headgear
for Use in Bicycling, or the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM
F-1447 standard). This requirement also applies to a person who rides
upon a bicycle while in a restraining seat that is attached to the bicycle
or in a trailer towed by the bicycle.
(b) Any helmet sold or offered for sale for use by operators and passengers
of bicycles shall be conspicuously labeled in accordance with the standard
described in subdivision (a) which shall constitute
the manufacturer's certification that the helmet conforms to the applicable
safety standards.
(c) No person shall sell, or offer for sale, for use by an operator or
passenger of a bicycle any safety helmet which is not of a type meeting
requirements established by this section.
(d) Any charge under this subdivision shall be dismissed when the person
charged alleges in court, under oath, that the charge against the person
is the first charge against that person under this subdivision, unless
it is otherwise established in court that the charge is not the first
charge against the person.
(e) Except as provided in subdivision (d), a violation of this section
is an infraction punishable by a fine of not more than twenty-five dollars
($25).
The parent or legal guardian having control or custody of an unemancipated
minor whose conduct violates this section shall be jointly and severally
liable with the minor for the amount of the fine imposed pursuant to this
subdivision.
(f) Notwithstanding Section 1463 of the Penal Code or any other provision
of law, the fines collected for a violation of this section shall be allocated
as follows:
(1) Seventy-two and one-half percent of the amount collected shall be
deposited in a special account of the county health department, to be
used for bicycle safety education and for assisting low-income families
in obtaining approved bicycle helmets for children under the age of 18
years, either on a loan or purchase basis. The county may contract for
the implementation of this program, which, to the extent practicable,
shall be operated in conjunction with the child passenger restraint program
pursuant to Section 27360.
(2) Two and one-half percent of the amount collected shall be deposited
in the county treasury to be used by the county to administer the program
described in paragraph (1).
(3) If the violation occurred within a city, 25 percent of the amount
collected shall be transferred to and deposited in the treasury of that
city. If the violation occurred in an unincorporated area, this 25 percent
shall be deposited and used pursuant to paragraph (1).
22111.
All required signals given by hand and arm shall
be given from the left side of a vehicle in the following manner:
(a) Left turn--hand and arm extended horizontally beyond the side
of the vehicle.
(b) Right turn--hand and arm extended upward beyond the side of the vehicle,
except that a bicyclist may extend the right hand and arm horizontally
to the right side of the bicycle.
(c) Stop or sudden decrease of speed signal--hand and arm extended downward
beyond the side of the vehicle.
