Ohio bicycle laws apply the state’s traffic rules to riders and add a few of their own on road position, lights and brakes. This guide explains the main rules, what a violation can mean, and what to do if a crash leaves you hurt.
What Are the Main Ohio Bicycle Laws?
Whether you ride for exercise, errands or commuting, the starting point is simple: a bicycle on the road is treated much like other vehicles. Under Ohio’s traffic laws for bicycles, the sections of the Revised Code on traffic and equipment that apply to bicycles and electric bicycles apply whenever a bicycle or electric bicycle is operated on any highway or on a path set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles.
That is why bicycle laws Ohio riders need to know are mostly the same rules drivers follow, with a handful of added requirements for cyclists. The sections below cover the ones that come up most often. If you were hurt in a crash, our Ohio bicycle accident lawyer page explains how we approach those claims.
Where Can You Ride on the Road?
Ohio bike laws tell a rider to stay to the right, with room for judgment. The law says a person operating a bicycle on a roadway must ride as near to the right side of the roadway as practicable, obeying all traffic rules that apply to vehicles and using due care when passing a standing vehicle or one proceeding in the same direction.
Two related rules from the same law are worth knowing:
- Riding two abreast. People riding bicycles on a roadway may not ride more than two abreast in a single lane, except on paths or parts of roadways set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles.
- When riding away from the edge is allowed. The law does not require a rider to stay at the edge of the roadway when that is unreasonable or unsafe. The conditions it lists include avoiding fixed or moving objects, parked or moving vehicles and surface hazards, and a lane that is too narrow for the bicycle and an overtaking vehicle to travel safely side by side.
What Lights, Reflectors and Brakes Does Ohio Law Require?
Equipment rules are a common source of tickets and, after a crash, a common point of dispute about who was careful. Under Ohio’s bicycle equipment law, a bicycle in use at the times the lighting law specifies must have a lamp on the front of the bicycle or the rider that emits a white light visible from a distance of at least five hundred feet to the front and three hundred feet to the sides.
The same equipment law requires a red reflector on the rear that is visible from all distances from one hundred feet to six hundred feet to the rear when directly in front of lawful lower beams of head lamps on a motor vehicle.
A reflector alone is not enough. Under the same equipment law, a lamp emitting either flashing or steady red light visible from a distance of five hundred feet to the rear shall be used in addition to the red reflector.
Those times are set by Ohio’s lighting law, which requires lighted lights during the time from sunset to sunrise, at any other time when persons, vehicles and substantial objects on the highway are not discernible at a distance of one thousand feet ahead because of insufficient natural light or unfavorable atmospheric conditions, and any time the windshield wipers of a vehicle are in use because of precipitation.
Under the equipment law, every bicycle and electric bicycle must be equipped with an adequate brake when used on a street or highway. A bicycle may have a device that gives an audible signal, but the law does not allow a siren or whistle on one.
How Much Room Must a Driver Give a Cyclist?
Drivers must pass a rider on the left at a safe distance. The passing law says that when a motor vehicle overtakes and passes a bicycle or electric bicycle, three feet or greater is considered a safe passing distance.
What Hand Signals Should Cyclists Use?
A rider turning or stopping signals by hand and arm, given from the left side of the vehicle. Under Ohio’s hand and arm signal law, a left turn is shown with the hand and arm extended horizontally and a stop or slowing with the hand and arm extended downward. For a right turn, a person operating a bicycle may extend the hand and arm upward or may extend the right hand and arm horizontally to the right side of the bicycle.
Is It Legal to Ride a Bicycle on the Sidewalk in Ohio?
The state law that bars driving a vehicle on a sidewalk makes an exception for bicycles. Under the sidewalk driving law, the ban does not apply to a bicycle or to an electric bicycle whose motor is not engaged. The same section says that local authorities may regulate the operation of bicycles within their jurisdictions, but that no local authority may require bicycles to be operated on sidewalks.
What Are the Ohio Bike Laws for Electric Bicycles?
Ohio sorts electric bicycles into class 1, class 2 and class 3, and the labels must say which class a bicycle is. Under the electric bicycle law, no person under sixteen years of age may operate a class 3 electric bicycle, although a person under sixteen may ride as a passenger on a class 3 electric bicycle designed to accommodate passengers. No person may operate or be a passenger on a class 3 electric bicycle unless wearing a protective helmet that meets the standards the law names.
The law also addresses paths. Class 1 and class 2 electric bicycles are permitted on a path set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles or on a shared-use path unless the local authority or state agency in control of the path prohibits them.
What Happens If You Break an Ohio Bike Law?
A rider who breaks one of these rules can be cited much as a driver would be. The law allows a bicycle operator who violates an applicable section to be issued a ticket, citation or summons in the same manner as the operator of a motor vehicle, and it states that no points are assessed against the rider’s driver’s license for the violation.
For the road position and equipment rules above, the usual charge is a minor misdemeanor. If the person has one prior predicate motor vehicle or traffic offense within a year, the charge rises to a misdemeanor of the fourth degree, and with two or more it rises to a misdemeanor of the third degree.
The law also looks at drivers. When a court finds that a motor vehicle operator’s violation endangered the lives of bicycle riders, it may require a bicycling skills course in addition to or in place of the usual penalty.
What Should You Do After a Bicycle Crash in Ohio?
A ticket or a rule violation does not by itself decide who is responsible for a crash, and every crash turns on its own facts. If you were hurt, these steps help protect your health and your options:
- Call 911 and get medical care, even if you feel able to walk away.
- Photograph the scene, your bicycle, your lights and your injuries, and keep the bicycle and your gear as they are.
- Get names and contact details for the driver and any witnesses.
- Be careful about giving a recorded statement to an insurance company before you understand your options.
If the crash happened in or near our home area, our Youngstown pedestrian and bicycle accident lawyer page covers what we do for local riders.
Talk to ASP&S About a Bicycle Crash
Anzellotti, Sperling, Pazol & Small is a personal injury firm with its office at 21 N. Wickliffe Circle, Youngstown, OH 44515. If a driver’s mistake left you injured, our personal injury lawyers can review what happened and explain your options. You pay no fee unless we recover compensation for you. Call 330-792-6033 or reach out online to schedule a free consultation.
This page offers general information, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.