Close X
Friday, November 29, 2024
ADVT 
National

Wear your helmet when riding your bike or be ticketed with a fine: North Van RCMP

Darpan News Desk North Vancouver RCMP, 19 Apr, 2022 04:35 PM
  • Wear your helmet when riding your bike or be ticketed with a fine: North Van RCMP

As summer approaches, cyclists are once again taking to the streets in bigger numbers. We're letting the community know that officers will be out making sure cyclists are following the rules of the road, wearing helmets, and equipped with the proper lights at night.

Did you know?

The BC Motor Vehicle Act and Regulations state operators of cycles have the same rights and duties as a driver of a motor vehicle. This includes things such as stopping at stop signs, obeying traffic lights, stopping at crosswalks, and staying on the right hand portion of the road way.

Can you get a red light ticket as a cyclist? You bet, and the fine is the same as it is for drivers: $167. Failing to stop at stop signs, failing to yield to pedestrians, and disobeying traffic control devices are all ticketable offences whether you're behind the wheel or astride the saddle.

Wearing an approved helmet is also mandatory, unless you have an exemption.

Wearing a helmet: 

  • Reduces the risk of serious head injury by 60%
  • Reduces the risk of traumatic brain injury by 53%
  • Reduces the risk of fatality or serious injury by 34%
  • Reduces the risk of facial injury by 23%

There's no question that helmets save lives. A proper fitting helmet should be:

  • Snug: It does not slide from side-to-side or front-to-back.
  • Level: It should sit on top of the head, covering the top of the forehead and not tilt in any direction.
  • Stable: A chinstrap keeps the helmet from rocking. Replace a chinstrap is any part of the buckle breaks.

Helmet fines include:

  • Fail to wear helmet: $29 (issued to riders 16 years and older)
  • Permit cycling without helmet: $29 (issued to parent or guardian of rider 15 years and under)

If you plan to hit the road after dark, make sure you know the rules about lights and reflectors. Cyclists riding at night must have the following on their bikes:

  • White headlight (solid or flashing) at front
  • Red light (solid or flashing) OR red reflector at rear

The fine for riding without proper lights or a reflector is $109.

While these are the minimum requirements for riding at night, if you want to increase your safety, follow these additional guidelines:

    • Light yourself up - the more lights the better!
    • The more reflectors the better
    • Wear high-visibility colours
    • No headphones! You need your ears more than ever when it’s dark.

Patrol and traffic officers will be out in force both day and night, looking to enforce bicycle helmet laws and ensure cyclists are visible, following the rules, and staying safe.

MORE National ARTICLES

New climate change report 'sobering:' Guilbeault

New climate change report 'sobering:' Guilbeault
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change urges more aggressive cuts to greenhouse-gas emissions to limit global warming to the 1.5 degrees in the 2015 Paris Accord.

New climate change report 'sobering:' Guilbeault

Feds ease foreign workers rules amid labour crunch

Feds ease foreign workers rules amid labour crunch
Higher-wage, highly skilled workers will also be able to secure three years of employment eligibility instead of two, which the government says would also give them an easier path to permanent residency.

Feds ease foreign workers rules amid labour crunch

High waves, deep snow arrive in latest B.C. storm

High waves, deep snow arrive in latest B.C. storm
The weather office warned of dangerous storm surges on Monday as west winds gust to 100 kilometres per hour. The agency said the winds could send waves of up to 12 metres "crashing onshore" during the height of the storm.

High waves, deep snow arrive in latest B.C. storm

BC Premier John Horgan tests positive for COVID19

BC Premier John Horgan tests positive for COVID19
Horgan says his symptoms are mild and he is isolating and working from home. He recently underwent treatment of his throat cancer and was back in his office in January.

BC Premier John Horgan tests positive for COVID19

Woman sexually assaulted during the early morning hours in an Abbotsford parking lot

Woman sexually assaulted during the early morning hours in an Abbotsford parking lot
A woman was reported walking through a local business parking lot when she was approached by an unknown man driving a grey or silver van. During this encounter, the victim was sexually assaulted. The suspect male is described as South Asian, 30 years of age, with short brown hair and a beard.

Woman sexually assaulted during the early morning hours in an Abbotsford parking lot

Canadians becoming more divided: survey

Canadians becoming more divided: survey
The national phone survey by the Canadian Hub for Applied and Social Research at the University of Saskatchewan was done between March 7 and March 24. It asked 1,011 people about the issues that divide them the most.

Canadians becoming more divided: survey