Bicycles should not be operated while intoxicated and operating a bicycle while under the influence of alcohol or other controlled substances may result in severe punishments. Alabama's law prohibiting driving while under the influence of alcohol or other controlled substances is written so that it applies to all vehicles and therefore applies to bicyclists. In Alabama, bicycles are defined as vehicles. This prohibition applies to bicycles since they are defined as vehicles in Alabama and there are no other statutes which authorize the use of bicycles on sidewalks.Īlabama requires that wherever a usable path for bicycles has been provided adjacent to a roadway, bicycle riders shall use such path and shall not use the roadway. Alabama does not provide for any exceptions to that requirement.Īlabama prohibits the driving any vehicle upon a sidewalk or sidewalk area except upon a permanent or duly authorized temporary driveway. This law has not yet been codified and made available through Alabama's state statute directory, although the law is nevertheless effective.Īlabama requires that bicyclists ride as far to the right as practicable. There are currently no national standards for laws protecting vulnerable road users, but the League of American Bicyclists has drafted a Model Vulnerable Road User statute, which you can find here.Īlabama has passed a law prohibiting writing, sending, or reading text messages on an electronic device while operating a motor vehicle. The net proceeds of the program are used by the Fairhope Cycling Project to promote, educate, and help make the communities of Alabama bicycle and pedestrian friendly.Īlabama does not have any vulnerable road user laws at this time.
#Open roads bike program license
A roadway without a marked bicycle lane if the roadway has a marked speed limit of 45 miles per hour or less and the roadway does not have a double yellow line separating cars from oncoming traffic indicating a no passing zone.Īlabama law states that the definition of a safe distance as not less than three feet when passing a bicyclist shall only apply when a cyclist is riding within two feet of the right shoulder of the roadway.Īlabama requires that any person under the age of 16 riding a bicycle, as an operator or passenger, must wear a protective bicycle helmet.Īlabama began offering "I Share the Road" license plates in 2017.
For the purposes of a vehicle overtaking and passing a bicycle, a safe distance shall mean not less than three feet on any of the following: Alabama requires that all vehicles are overtaken and passed at a safe distance.