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Georgia has traffic laws that specifically regulate where and how you may ride your bike. Some of them are similar to the traffic rules that govern cars and motor vehicles, but others only cover bicycles.

In this article, we go over all of the requirements that Georgian bicyclists need to be aware of.

What are Georgia’s bike laws?

Georgia bike laws treat bicycles as vehicles. In other words, many rules and regulations that have to do with driving a car also apply to bicycles. This includes yielding to traffic with the right of way, signaling before turning, making sure that the lights are on at night, and more.

However, there are certain rules that particularly regulate bikes. Among them are where and how you may ride one.

Where to Ride

Under the Peach State’s traffic laws, here is where bicyclists are required to ride:

• Side of the Road: Bike riders in Georgia who go below the speed limit must be as close as possible to the right end of the road (based on what’s safe and practical). The only exceptions are when you want to pass a car, take a turn, avoid a hazard that’s in your way, or are riding on a narrow lane.
• Direction: Whether you’re on the road or a bike lane, Georgia’s laws require you to move in the same direction in which traffic is going.
• Bike Lanes: If you’re on a bike lane, you have the right of way and other vehicles must yield to you. Nonetheless, bicyclists don’t need to ride on a designated bike lane except when local ordinances mandate that.
• Sidewalks: Similarly, unless you’re under the age of 12, you can’t ride your bike on the sidewalk. Yet some local ordinances and rules may permit you to do so. You may want to check your city and/or county bike laws to learn more about what applies to you.

In addition to these regulations on where you may ride, you also have to abide by Georgia’s guidelines on how you can operate your bicycle.

How to Ride

Some of the rules for riding a bike are similar to those that apply to cars, but there are a few requirements that are particular to the former.

Firstly, when you’re on the road, you must follow these laws:

• Two bicyclists can’t ride side-by-side. That is to say that one of them has to be in front of the other. However, this rule doesn’t pertain to paths and parts of the roads that are only designated for bikes.
• Just as with car drivers, bicyclists have to slow down and fully stop if they come across a red traffic light or stop sign.
• In the same vein, bike riders need to signal whenever they’re turning or stopping.

Equally as important are the laws that govern cars and bicycles that want to move past each other.

Bicyclists Overtaking Cars

If you’re on your bike and want to overtake a car, you have to pass the vehicle by moving to the left lane (like you would when you’re driving your car).

Having said that, bicyclists are allowed to pass a vehicle from the right when they can do so in a safe manner and without going on the sidewalk or off the road.

Cars Overtaking Bicyclists

Car drivers need to be at least 3 feet away from a bike before they overtake it. This distance has to be longer when the 3-foot minimum isn’t practical or safe enough for a car to pass.

Equipment

For safety reasons, each of the rider and the bicycle must have these equipments and tools:

• Helmets: Georgians that are 16 years old or younger have to properly fasten their helmets and keep wearing them while they’re on their bikes.
• Lights: Every bicycle is required to have a white headlight on the front and a red one (or a red reflector) on the back. Both of which should be easily seen from 300 feet away or more at night.
• Brakes: Bikes need to be equipped with brakes that are compatible with different types of pavements, namely dry, level, and clean ones.

Alongside these equipment requirements, you want to make sure that you avoid riding your bike in a prohibited or illegal way.

Prohibition

Georgia’s bike laws prohibit the following while someone rides their bicycle:

• Clinging to a car or motor vehicle.
• Carrying more people than what the bike is designed to hold.
• Riding with a child who is younger than 1 year of age (except when they’re in an infant sling or a bicycle trailer that’s properly and safely affixed).
• Raising the handlebars to a position where the rider’s hands would be above their shoulders when they steer.
• Operating the bike without any hands on the handlebars.

Bicyclists who commit one of these prohibited actions, fail to abide by the riding rules, or don’t have the necessary equipment are likely to get stopped by law enforcement.

Police Inspection

Uniformed police officers in Georgia can stop and inspect any bicycle whenever there is a reasonable cause that it’s unsafe to ride or doesn’t have the legally-required equipment.

Examples include a bike with lights that are broken or turned off at night, riders that are going in the opposite direction to traffic, and those that are illegally passing vehicles.

There are also other reasons for why a police officer could pull over a rider that we are yet to mention in this article.

Alcohol

Georgia’s driving under the influence (DUI) laws apply to both vehicles and bicycles. In other words, it is illegal to ride a bike when you’re intoxicated or have a higher blood alcohol level (BAC) than what’s legally permitted to operate a car.

Having said that, the punishments, penalties, and fines for cycling under the influence are much less severe than the ones associated with doing so while driving a car.

In fact, this may be the general theme that defines Georgia’s bike laws, ranging from where to ride them to when the police can stop you, and everything in between that this article has covered.