Bicycle riders in Florida have the right to seek compensation from their auto insurance polity if they are injured in an accident involving a motor vehicle. If the other driver was wholly or partially at fault, they may also have the right to sue the other driver.
Determining fault a car-bike accident can be complex. The stakes may be high, as the person on the bicycle may suffer serious injuries. It often takes an attorney’s help to hold negligent drivers and their insurance companies responsible for the damage they cause.
As a bicyclist in Florida, you generally have the same rights and duties that apply to drivers of other vehicles. The following rules apply to bicycle riders:
- Ride in the same direction as other traffic.
- If you are riding at less than the speed of oher vehicles, stay in the lane marked for bicycle use. If no lane is marked for bicycle use, stay as close to the right-hand edge of the roadway as practical, except when passing, preparing for a left turn or avoiding obstacles. If you are riding on a one-way roadway with two or more lanes, however, ride as near to the left curb or left edge of such roadway as practicable.
- When riding with other bicyclists, do not ride more than two abreast.
- If you are riding between sunset and sunrise, your bike must be equipped with a front light visible from 500 feet away. You must also have a rear lamp and reflector visible from 600 feet away.
- If you are riding on a sidewalk or crossway, you must yield to pedestrians and provide an audible warning when passing.
- If you are walking your bike on a sidewalk or crosswalk, you have the same right of way as a pedestrian.
Even if you were partially at fault for an accident, you may have the right to seek compensation if the other driver was also at fault. Your recovery will be reduced by any percentage of liability assigned to you.
The law firm of Dolan Dobrinsky Rosenblum Bluestein, LLP represents bicyclists in the Miami-Dade area and throughout Florida who have been injured in car-bike collisions.