District of Columbia driving lesson · Sharing the Road
Bicyclists on the road
A 3-minute lesson from the District of Columbia course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
In DC, bicycles are vehicles. Bicyclists have the same kinds of rights and duties as drivers, and they're easy to startle and easy to hit, so give them room and time.
Know the rule
Bicycles are treated as vehicles in DC. Bicyclists have rights and duties like those of a motor vehicle driver.
Motorists must yield the right-of-way to bicyclists at intersections, when passing, and when turning. Most bikes have no turn signals, so cyclists use hand and arm signals.
When passing, wait until it's safe and allow about three feet of clearance. Return to your lane when you can clearly see the bicyclist in your rear-view mirror. If you can't pass safely, slow down and follow.
A bicycle should be ridden as close to the right side of the road as possible, but cyclists are expected to use turn lanes. Merge safely with bike traffic when turning, and don't turn right across the path of bicycle traffic.
Bicycle lanes are marked by a solid or dashed white line or green pavement plus a bicyclist symbol. Don't drive in one except to turn left or right; check mirrors and yield to bicycles in the lane first.
A shared lane marking: a bicycle symbol with a double chevron above it, used on lanes too narrow to share side-by-side. It shows where cyclists should ride and reminds drivers to expect them.
You're turning right and a cyclist is riding in the bike lane beside you. Don't cut across them. Check your mirror, let the cyclist pass, then merge into the bike lane and make your turn.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
Bicycles in DC are legally treated as:
Pedestrians
Vehicles, with a vehicle's duties
Exempt from most traffic laws
Recreational equipment, not vehicles
Answer: Vehicles, with a vehicle's duties
DC law treats bicycles as vehicles, giving bicyclists both rights and duties on the road.
