A 3-minute lesson from the Montana course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Under Montana law, bicycles are vehicles with the same rights and the traffic laws that reasonably apply. They're slower and much more vulnerable, so pass a cyclist the way you'd pass a farm tractor.
Know the rule
Bicycles are considered vehicles and are governed by the same traffic laws that reasonably apply to them.
On a high-speed two-lane road, if there's no oncoming traffic, carefully cross the center line to give the cyclist about five feet. If there is oncoming traffic, slow to the cyclist's speed and wait.
Two arrows over a bicycle, showing cyclists where to ride in a lane shared with cars. Watch for bikes and give room; it's not the symbol for a bike lane.
When someone in a parked car opens the door into an approaching cyclist without checking. Cyclists often ride farther from parked cars — even outside a bike lane — to avoid it.
On a two-lane highway you come up behind a cyclist while a truck approaches from the other direction. Slow to the cyclist's speed and wait. Once the oncoming lane is clear, cross the center line and give about five feet.
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.
Under Montana law, how are bicycles classified on the roadway?
As pedestrians with wheels
As slow-moving vehicles needing an emblem
As vehicles, under the same traffic laws
As motorized vehicles requiring registration
Answer: As vehicles, under the same traffic laws
Montana law treats bicycles as vehicles subject to the traffic laws that reasonably apply to their operation.
