People biking in Kentucky are governed by laws on the state and local levels. Kentucky’s state laws and administrative regulations cover the basics regarding requirements a bicycle must have to be on Kentucky streets as well as regulations governing safe biking. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Rules of the Road covers state statutes and administrative regulations. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet website promoting safety also provides extensive information on safety tips, good biking practices guide, and a link to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regarding bicycle safety. There is also a webpage that has the complete bicycle regulations issued by the Kentucky Administrative Regulations regarding bicycling.

Kentucky’s state laws and administrative regulations emphasize making one’s bike more visible and require headlights at night enabling the bicyclist to see large objects at least 50 feet away and, at night, make the bike visible at least 500 feet. The bicycling regulations require a reflector on the back of the bike visible at least 100 feet and, a red light visible at least 500 feet away for night biking.

Lexington Biking Ordinances

Lexington’s city government bicycle ordinances are contained in Article X of the city’s ordinances. A majority of Lexington’s bike ordinances reiterate those bike regulations under Kentucky Administrative Regulations. Also, Lexington’s Share the Road website promotes bicycle safety and provides a collection of weblinks where bicyclists can find out more information about safety, laws, regulations and ordinances governing biking in Lexington.

Biking Injuries, Fatality Statistics

The combination of state laws, city ordinances and website guidelines promoting safety are crucial considering the injuries and even fatalities which occur to Kentucky bicyclists. According to the Kentucky Traffic Collision Facts, 2014 Report, there were a total of 462 bicycle collisions in the state. There were 312 collisions that led to injuries and three fatalities as a result of bicycle collisions in 2014.

The Lexington Herald Leader article “Analysis of bicycle accidents pinpoints problem areas in Lexington,” published on May 4, 2014, noted that from 2008 to 2013 there were 293 bike collisions causing injuries and three collision causing fatalities. In a study by Boyd Shearer of University of Kentucky, many of the collisions were located where bicycle lanes suddenly ended. Also, the greatest concentration of bike versus car collisions occurred in the University of Kentucky campus area.

Bicycling is a low-cost way of transportation and offers a convenient way to travel in Lexington as well as other areas in Kentucky. However, bicycling carries risks especially since the bicyclists have little protection when a collision occurs. Accidents can occur even if the bicyclists drive safe and follow bicycle laws. If a collision occurs, you need to able to be compensated for any injuries, wage loss, pain, and suffering that you experience.

Get Legal Help

Roberts Law Office, PLLC (located at 209 E. High Street, Lexington, KY 40507) excels in obtaining the compensation you deserve if you suffer a bicycle accident or other type of personal injury. Roberts Law Office’s website explains the importance of being adequately represented if you suffer a personal injury (see Roberts Law Office, Personal Injury section). Roberts Law Office is led by attorney D. Tyler Roberts who founded the law firm in 2012. If you are in an accident, you can contact Roberts Law Firm by phone at (859) 231-0202 or submitting your contact information and description of the accident at the law firm’s contact page.