Warsaw Police Department has begun to increase the enforcement of state and local ordinances that pertain to bicyclists and motorists in the effort to become a bicycle-friendly community. Under Indiana law, bicyclists are recognized as vehicles and have all the rights and duties of any other vehicle. Thus, cyclists must obey all traffic laws, and drivers of motor vehicles must treat cyclists as equal users of the public way. Cyclists should travel in the same direction as all other traffic. Cyclist violations are not obeying traffic control signals and signs including stop signs. Another violation is failure to have a front white light visible from 500 feet from a half hour after sunset to a half hour before sunset, and a red rear reflector or light visible from 500 feet for the same time period. Another violation is riding more than two abreast. For motorists, violations are turning left in front of a cyclist who is headed in the opposite direction. Other violations are to pass a cyclists traveling in the same direction and making an immediate right turn in front of the cyclist or stopping. Violations also include disregarding traffic control devices such as running stop signs and red lights, opening vehicle doors in front of cyclists, failure to yield the right of way to other vehicles including cyclists and distracted driving such as sending, reading, or writing text messages while operating a motor vehicle.
