Have you ever wondered what “The Law” actually SAYS about riding a bicycle?  Many Ohio riders are familiar with some of the common rules or phrases.  The “AFRAP” rule, for example.  Many of us also have a sense that we have a “right” to ride our bicycles on the roadway, but where does that right come from?

A few years ago, a number of us on the Board of the Ohio Bicycle Federation took on the challenge of listing the most important laws applicable to cyclists in Ohio.  You can read the actual results of our efforts on the OBF’s website.

More from ohiobikelawyer.com

Hope you can attend Steve Magas’ talk on Bicycling Laws tomorrow (Tues, May 18) at 6:30-7:30PM at the Main branch of Columbus public library auditorium (96 S Grant Ave). Steve will focus on the laws governing cycling on Ohio roads and the responsibilities of riders and motorists. The session will also include a history of cycling and how it was among the first vehicle codes ever written. We’ve heard Steve speak at two ODOT conferences and his talks are fascinating.

Wonderful, knowledgeable speaker! Well worth your time.

I attended Steve Magas’ presentation at the Healthy Communities Active Transportation Conference earlier this year in Columbus and thought it excellent. Magas is extremely knowledgeable and an excellent speaker, illustrating points with instances from his own litigation and recent cases. You might think Bicycling Law to be a dry topic, but Magas brings it to life with real world advice to affect your daily riding choices and decisions.

I was bummed I missed this yesterday evening however, I had to work I’m sure it went very well.

It was a very good presentation.  I was most delighted to hear that 30% of cyclists killed are found to be over the limit for blood alcohol, so if you avoid drinking and cycling, you’ll decrease your chances of getting killed by almost 1/3.  Now that’s a factoid to throw around!

Although I missed most of the presentation, what I did catch of it was very good.  I was struck by the differences in sentencing in the presented court cases, and the fact that cyclists were killed seemed to be a minor factor in the sentencing (in the case of the TOSRV rider who was killed on US 23, for example, most of the 60-day sentence the motorist received was for leaving the scene of an accident, and members of her church sat in on the trial).  In a Hamilton County case, a motorist received a more severe sentence (15 years)  because he was alledgedly drunk and “high” and killed the wife of a prominent attorney.  I think this points out deficiencies in the law which should be addressed.

here’s a summary I found via twitter:

http://www.examiner.com/x-46365-Columbus-Cycling-Examiner~y2010m5d20-Steve-Magas-speaks-on-bicycle-law-at-Columbus-Main-Library?cid=examiner-email

Thanks to Steve for coming and thanks to all who came out for his talk on Tuesday. I enjoyed it as well. The information about how you can use your different insurance (health, auto, homeowner and umbrella) to cover injuries and damages is good to know. And I liked what Steve had to say about what to do after a crash. Both of these topics are covered in his and Bob Mionske’s book Bicycling and the Law. I know I’ve said this a hundred times before, but it’s a book really worth reading. Steve’s blog is great, too. He wrote about his visit:

http://ohiobikelawyer.com/bike-law-101/2010/05/steve-speaks-in-columbus-for-bike-month/

Keith Hollingsworth of the Discovery SID services was there and let us know that you can contact them to help document crashes. He didn’t want to take time away from Steve’s time to talk about what services they provide. I’ll post more about it next week. Check out their website:

http://www.downtowncolumbus.com/about/capital-crossroads-sid

THANKS for having me up there to speak this year! I thought we had a great turn out on a not so great night.  I went to OSU Law School and have had a number of bike cases in Columbus. I also ran the Cincinnati office of a Columbus firm [Wolske & Blue] some years ago, so I was excited to be invited up to speak.  

One topic I didn’t get to talk much about is DOGS.  You can read about Ohio’s EXCELLENT “dog laws” on the webpage [ http://ohiobikelawyer.com/bike-law-101/2010/04/dogs-cyclists-with-friends-like-these/ and even read my lousy poetry!

If anyone is interested in getting a copy of the book, Bicycling & The Law, let me know.  I sell that what is essentially my cost – $10 – plus whatever it costs to ship it to you.  As a co-author I do get a bit of a deal from the publisher and to me it’s all about getting the book out there.  I think Bob did an outstanding job making it very enjoyable and readable.  Bob ran into some deadline issues and asked me to contribute at the last minute. I was able to help him out with a few chapters based on the file cabinet full of research I’ve accumulated over the past 25+ years!

The issue of criminal cases and the disparity of sentences is something I’ve also written about more extensively on the blog – you can check that blog blurb out here –> http://ohiobikelawyer.com/bike-law-101/2010/01/road-rage-doc-gets-five-years-drunk-killer-gets-only-two/

I’ve been really impressed the cycling advocacy in Columbus!  Your Ride of Silence turn out was amazing!  We’re still playing catch up in Cincinnati, but our 40 yr old “bike plan” has been pulled out of mothballs & dusted off, so who knows!

Feel free to call me [513-484-BIKE / 2453] or write [BikeLawyer@aol.com] with ANY of your bike law questions.  It’s only $1000.00/question… no no no… I offer a free consultation on any potential claim and am HAPPY to “talk bike” any time!

Thanks again!

Steve Magas

THANKS for having me up there to speak this year! I thought we had a great turn out on a not so great night.  I went to OSU Law School and have had a number of bike cases in Columbus. I also ran the Cincinnati office of a Columbus firm [Wolske & Blue] some years ago, so I was excited to be invited up to speak.  

One topic I didn’t get to talk much about is DOGS.  You can read about Ohio’s EXCELLENT “dog laws” on the webpage [ http://ohiobikelawyer.com/bike-law-101/2010/04/dogs-cyclists-with-friends-like-these/ and even read my lousy poetry!

If anyone is interested in getting a copy of the book, Bicycling & The Law, let me know.  I sell that what is essentially my cost – $10 – plus whatever it costs to ship it to you.  As a co-author I do get a bit of a deal from the publisher and to me it’s all about getting the book out there.  I think Bob did an outstanding job making it very enjoyable and readable.  Bob ran into some deadline issues and asked me to contribute at the last minute. I was able to help him out with a few chapters based on the file cabinet full of research I’ve accumulated over the past 25+ years!

The issue of criminal cases and the disparity of sentences is something I’ve also written about more extensively on the blog – you can check that blog blurb out here –> http://ohiobikelawyer.com/bike-law-101/2010/01/road-rage-doc-gets-five-years-drunk-killer-gets-only-two/

I’ve been really impressed the cycling advocacy in Columbus!  Your Ride of Silence turn out was amazing!  We’re still playing catch up in Cincinnati, but our 40 yr old “bike plan” has been pulled out of mothballs & dusted off, so who knows!

Feel free to call me [513-484-BIKE / 2453] or write [BikeLawyer@aol.com] with ANY of your bike law questions.  It’s only $1000.00/question… no no no… I offer a free consultation on any potential claim and am HAPPY to “talk bike” any time!

Thanks again!

Steve Magas