Law protects cyclists, defines right to ride

AIKEN --- Tom Lex knows all about the dangers of riding a bicycle while sharing the road with cars and other vehicles.

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Rainier Ehrhardt/Staff

Aiken Bicycle Club members ride past a Share the Road sign on South Boundary Road in Aiken.

"From a motorist's standpoint, they don't realize many times how fast a cyclist is going," said Mr. Lex, the president of the Aiken Bicycle Club. "If a motorist makes a right-hand turn and they cut in front of a cyclist, a lot of times they could end up with the cyclist running into them."

Because of such dangers, Mr. Lex, who rides more than 200 miles a week on his bicycle, says he's glad to see that a new law passed by South Carolina lawmakers in June has some teeth to it, particularly with respect to motorists who harass cyclists.

"I think it's an excellent move," he said. "It's going in the right direction to promote safety on the road."

The new law holds motorists accountable for their behavior toward cyclists and defines cyclists' rights on the road.

According to the new law, motorists who harass a cyclist either by honking or throwing something could face jail time or a fine of $250 or more.

Motorists also must leave a safe distance when passing a cyclist, and they must yield to cyclists in bike lanes.

North Augusta resident Drew Jordan rides his bike to work at Andy Jordan's Bicycle Warehouse most mornings and said the provisions in the new law put him "a little bit more at ease."

"Bicyclists have the exact same rights as other vehicles on the road now," he said. Now that motorists harassing cyclists is against the law, "it will be easier for actions to be taken against the person."

According to the state Department of Transportation, as of 2006, South Carolina's bicycle fatality death rate was 3.70 per million population -- the seventh-highest in the country.

In 2007, there were 18, and this year there have been six bicycle fatalities.

The law also allows cyclists to use the road or the shoulder and eliminates a previous law requiring cyclists to use paths adjacent to the road.

"The cyclist has to be as far right as possible, but that doesn't mean they have to be on the shoulder," Mr. Lex said. "The cyclist has every right to be on the road."

But Mr. Lex also stresses that cyclists have to be responsible and abide by the traffic laws.

"Cycles are considered a slow-moving vehicle, so that means stopping at traffic lights, stopping at stop signs and giving hand signals when they're going to make their turn," he said.

Reach Michelle Guffey at (803) 648-1395, ext. 110, or michelle.guffey@augustachronicle.com.