Sharing the road with bicycles — Alabama Permit Test

Alabama law requires you to pass a person on a bicycle with not less than three feet between your vehicle and the person.

A rider can wobble or swerve around a pothole, and three feet leaves room for that without a collision.

Alabama state law requires that you pass a person on a bicycle with a distance of not less than three feet between your motor vehicle and the person on a bicycle.

People on bicycles have the same rights and responsibilities on the road as people in motor vehicles.

A bicycle is a vehicle on the road, so its rider follows the same rules and is owed the same courtesy.

That is, people on bicycles possess the same rights and responsibilities of the road as people in motor vehicles.

A person on a bicycle must ride as close as practicable to the right curb or edge, except when passing, preparing for a left turn, or avoiding hazards such as debris, opening car doors or pedestrians.

Riding to the right lets faster traffic pass, but a rider has to move out to turn or to dodge a hazard.

When preparing for a left turn.

In Alabama, people on bicycles may ride two abreast at all times.

Riding side by side is legal here, so drivers should expect it and pass with care rather than crowd.

People on bicycles may ride two abreast at all times.

People on bicycles must ride with the flow of traffic and signal turns, lane changes and stops with the same hand and arm signals drivers use.

Riding the same way as traffic makes a rider predictable, and the shared signals mean everyone reads them the same way.

People on bicycles are required to ride with the flow of traffic and

Where a bicycle lane is available, people on bicycles must use it, and in Alabama it is illegal for them to ride on the sidewalk.

Sidewalks belong to people walking, and a bike lane gives riders their own marked space.

In Alabama, it is illegal for people on bicycles to ride on the sidewalk.

People on bicycles under 16 must wear a securely fastened protective helmet when riding on public roads, rights-of-way, public bicycle paths and in public parks.

Head injuries are what kill young riders in falls and crashes, and a fastened helmet prevents most of them.

People on bicycles who are under the age of 16 years are required to wear a securely fastened protective helmet when riding on public roadways, other public rights-of way, public bicycle paths and in public parks.

A driver may not drive in a bicycle lane except to park where parking is allowed, to enter or leave the highway, or to prepare for a turn.

The bike lane is the rider's space, and a car using it as a travel lane forces the rider into traffic.

Whenever a bicycle lane has been established on a roadway, any person operating a motor vehicle on such a roadway shall not drive in the bicycle lane except to park where parking is permitted, to enter or leave the highway, or to prepare for a turn.

When turning across a bicycle lane, move into the bicycle lane before making the turn, as long as doing so does not endanger the person on the bicycle.

Merging into the bike lane first stops a rider from coming up on your right as you turn across them.

When turning across a bicycle lane, the driver shall drive the motor vehicle into the bicycle lane prior to making the turn and shall make the turn so long as such preparation for a turn shall not encroach upon the safety of the person on the bicycle in the lane.

If the road is too narrow to pass a person on a bicycle safely, do not follow too closely or blast them with your horn; stay behind at a safe interval until you can pass.

A horn blast can startle a rider into a fall, and there will be room to pass soon enough.

Remain behind the person on the bicycle at a safe interval until you are able to pass.

Avoid passing a person on a bicycle when going uphill or in a curve, where visibility is limited, or when other vehicles are in the lane you would have to use.

You cannot see what is coming over a hill or around a bend, and a car there leaves you nowhere to go.

Avoid passing when traveling uphill or in a curve, areas where visibility is limited or obstructed.

During wet weather a bicycle's braking is greatly reduced, so be prepared for a person on a bicycle to need more room to slow or stop.

Wet rims and tires grip poorly, so a rider may not be able to stop where a car could.

During wet weather, the braking ability of a bicycle is greatly reduced.

According to Alabama law, bicycles should be equipped with lights or reflectors for nighttime riding.

A rider in the dark is very hard to see, and lights or reflectors are what show a driver they are there.

According to Alabama State Law, bicycles should be equipped with lights or reflectors for nighttime riding.

How much space must you leave when passing a person on a bicycle in Alabama?

At least 3 feet. A rider can wobble or swerve around a pothole, and three feet leaves room for that without a collision. Alabama Driver Manual, p.24: “Alabama state law requires that you pass a person on a bicycle with a distance of not less than three feet between your motor vehicle and the person on a bicycle.”