BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 28
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 27, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Jim Frazier, Chair
AB 28
(Chu) - As Amended April 22, 2015
SUBJECT: Bicycle safety: rear lights
SUMMARY: Authorizes bicycles to have a solid red light or a
flashing red light on the rear in place of the required red
reflector.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Requires that a bicycle operated during darkness be equipped
with all of the following:
a) A white light that illuminates the road in front of the
bicyclist and is visible from a distance of 300 feet in
front and from the sides of the bicycle.
b) A red reflector on the rear that is visible from a
distance of 500 feet when directly in front of lawful upper
beams of vehicle headlights.
c) A white or yellow reflector on each pedal, shoe, or
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ankle visible from the front and rear of the bicycle from a
distance of 200 feet.
d) A white or yellow reflector on each side forward of the
center of the bicycle, and a white or red reflector on each
side to the rear of the center of the bicycle, except that
bicycles that are equipped with reflectorized tires on the
front and the rear need not be equipped with these side
reflectors.
2)Requires that reflectors and reflectorized tires be of a type
meeting requirements established by the California Highway
Patrol.
3)Authorizes that the front white light be attached to the
bicyclist rather than the bicycle as long as it meets the
visibility requirements.
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
COMMENTS: A recent report from the Governor's Highway Safety
Association (GHSA) on bicycle safety found that bicyclist
fatalities increased 16% nationwide between 2010 and 2012.
California had the highest number of fatalities of any state
during that time period at 338. The report additionally noted
that in 2012, nearly 27% of bicyclist death nationwide happened
between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. The report noted that enhancing
bicycle visibility through lighting is important, but did not
address the extent to which visibility played a role in
nighttime fatal crashes.
Under current law, bicycles are required to be equipped with a
front light and a variety of reflectors, including a red one on
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the rear of the bike that is visible from a distance of 500 feet
when directly in front of a vehicle's headlights. The federal
Consumer Products Safety Commission requires that all bicycles
sold in the United States be equipped with this rear reflector,
which must meet standards set by the commission.
This bill authorizes a bicycle to be equipped with a solid red
light or a flashing red light in place of the red reflector. If
a bicyclist wishes to remove the red reflector that his or her
bicycle comes with and replace it with a rear light, arguably
the bicyclist is no longer in compliance with the law even
though there is no sacrifice in terms of visibility, which is
the purpose of the reflector requirement. The author wants to
encourage bicyclists to be as visible as possible at night and
believes lights are a part of the solution. This simple change
to the law ensures that rear lights are authorized should a
bicyclist choose to use them.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
AFSCME
Opposition
None on file
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Analysis Prepared by:Anya Lawler / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093