Bicycle Safety and Bicycling-Related State Laws

Bicycle Safety. The League of American Bicyclists’ website has helpful tips on how to ride safely, addressing Traffic Principles, Where to Ride, Lane Positioning, Turning, Lane Changing, How to Avoid Getting Doored, How to Ride in Bike Lanes, and Traffic LIghts. The website also has useful videos with safe bicycling tips and informtation on choosing a bicycle and bicycle gear.

Massachusetts Bicycling Laws. The Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition, aka MassBike) website has a comprehensive summary of Massachusetts laws addressing the rights and responsibilities of bicyclists. The website also has a summary of the 2023 law changes aimed at protecting vulnerable road users, including bicyclists. These law changes establish (i) a four foot safe passing distance for motorists passing vulnerable road users and (ii) a rear red light requirement for bicyclists. They also (i) clarify the process for municipalities to establish a 25 MPH speed limit in thickly-settled areas, (ii) create a requirement for a standardized analysis tool for reporting crashes involving vulnerable road users, and (iii) require certain state contracted trucks to be equiped with safety side guards, convex and cross over mirrors, and back-up cameras. The MassBike website also has a summary of Massachusetts law on the classification of the different categories of e-bikes and the special regulations on the operation of e-bikes.