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Free Consultation: 800-937-8443

What are the Laws for Cycling at Night in Louisville?

Cycling at night can be dangerous, and according to a report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 45 of all cycling deaths occur at night, yet night cyclist makes up only 15 percent of all bike riding.

One of the things that makes night riding so dangerous is the lack of visibility of bicycles. In Louisville, there are no laws that restrict cycling at night, however, there are laws that attempt to make bicycles more visible at night.

While riding at night or during the day if visibility is low, a bike has to have one front light (on bike or cyclist) that is visible for 500 feet and capable of revealing objects at least 50 feet in front of the bicycle.

If the bike is riding on the shoulder of a highway, then the bike has to have a red reflector visible or red light for at least 100 feet from the rear of the bike, and 1 red light or red flashing light visible from the rear of the bike for at least 500 feet.

Operating a bicycle in violation of these rules can be a fine up to $50. The reason for these rules is the safety of the cyclist when riding at night.

Civil Liability Riding at Night

If a cyclist is injured at night in a collision with a motor vehicle, then the law allows the motorist to use the fact that the cyclist didn’t have adequate reflectors or lights on the bicycle to show that the cyclist was negligent.

In Kentucky, in any accident, the law can assign each party in a lawsuit to a percentage of the blame in an accident. Then each person pays the percentage of the damages equal to their percentage of the blame. Because of this, if a motorist hits a cyclist that had the right-of-way, if it bike didn’t have the right light or reflectors, the court can say that the cyclist was partly to blame. This will decrease any amount of compensation that the court awards the victim.

Contact a Louisville Bicycle Attorney

If you’ve been injured at night in a bicycle accident that was due to another person’s negligence, you need to speak to a Louisville Bicycle Accident Attorney right away. The experienced insurance company agents are good at their job – which is to pay you as little as possible or nothing at all.

You need someone just as experienced to help you level the field. Talk to someone you can trust to be on your side and get you what is yours under the law. The attorneys at Kaufman and Stigger, PLLC, have that knowledge and a combined 100 years’ experience in helping clients get the results they deserve. To discuss your case, call Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC today, at (800) 937-8443 or click here to contact them online.

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