NHP Keeping an Eye on Bicyclists and Motorists on the Road

The Nevada Highway Patrol recently stepped up enforcement of Nevada's Share the Road laws, pulling over 200 motorists who violated the law and issued them warnings.

Now its turn for the NHP to turn the tables and watch for bicyclists not in compliance.

In an effort to increase awareness, the NHP will be looking for traffic violations committed by bicyclists. Some of the most common violations committed by bicyclists include; not stopping at stop signs, disobeying traffic signal lights, and riding against the flow of traffic.

Bicyclists are required to follow the same rules of the road as motorists and sharing the roadways safely and responsibly is one way to avoid a traffic collision or a citation.

Some less known Nevada Revised Statues (NRS) that are commonly overlooked by bicyclists may include:

NRS 484B.777, which states that every person operating a bicycle on a roadway shall;
*Ride as near to the right side of the roadway as practicable
*Persons riding bicycles upon a roadway shall not ride more than 2 abreast, except on paths and roadways designated especially for bicycle use

NRS 484B.783, which states that every bicycle when in use at night must be equipped with:
*A lamp that emits white light which must be visible for 500 feet to the front
*A red reflector on the rear of the bicycle which must be visible from 50-300 feet

With the warmer weather ahead, it is inevitable that more bicyclists will be utilizing roadways for commuting and recreation.