Cyclists Have Several Legal Protections In Place

Chicago already has approximately 200 miles of bike lanes lining city roads, and with another 450 miles of bike lanes expected to be added by 2020, ensuring the safety of bicycle riders is incredibly important for the city and state as a whole.

In response to the Kane County judge’s dismissal of the citation issued against the driver whose failure to yield the right of way of Dennis Jurs, a 68-year-old man who was killed in an accident while riding a bicycle, state legislators introduced House Bill 5912 in an attempt to clear up the law in order to prevent a similar incident from happening in the future. According to the judge, the citation was dismissed because bicycles are not vehicles, and HB5912, also known as “Dennis’s Law,” clarifies that they are in fact vehicles.

The updated state vehicle code now reads:

Traffic laws apply to persons riding bicycles. Every person riding a bicycle upon a highway shall be granted all of the rights, including, but not limited to, rights under Article IX of this Chapter, and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this Code, except as to special regulations in this Article XV and except as to those provisions of this Code which by their nature can have no application.

Governor Bruce Rauner signed the bill into law in August of 2016 following its passage of both the Illinois House and Senate, with 164 votes in favor and only one against. It officially went into effect on Jan. 1, 2017.

If you were seriously injured in a bicycle accident, call our firm at 312-500-1792 today.

Hire An Experienced Lawyer To Represent You

Serious injuries can be incredibly stressful to deal with on your own, especially when they were the result of someone else’s misactions. At Power Rogers, our Chicago bicycle accident lawyers are committed to providing each new client we take on with the experienced and passionate legal representation they deserve in their time of need. If you were seriously injured through someone else’s negligent or wrongful actions, give us a call at 312-500-1792 to discuss your potential case with a member of our firm today, or start out with a free case evaluation by sending us your information through our online form.