Minnesota Accident Law

[Pink Pony]

A Irresponsible Driver Kissed me while commuting on my Bike. She fell asleep on the CAR while driving... im getting better now. But i wanted to share somethings with you..

--There is a Minnesota Law that requires front & rear reflectors or lights..
-- The Cops asked me RIGHT AWAY while i was on the floor if i had these things on me.. i did!!
-- If you don't they might file a report saying you were not noticeable and its your fault, etc., bla, bla ..they say its the law. So stay safe please


These are the ones you can purchase and put on your bike. THey are very bright, light and cheap for all you Weightweenies out there!!

http://www.euromediagroup.us/barb_light.php?cat=20&id=45

Have a nice day

[Little D]

Thanks for the info, it's good to know what the law says you you won't get screwed.

Did they write the driver a ticket after you proved you had lights/reflectors?

Hope you get better soon

[Pink Pony]

Thanks for the info, it's good to know what the law says you you won't get screwed.

Did they write the driver a ticket after you proved you had lights/reflectors?

Hope you get better soon

I don't know if he wrote her a ticket. But on the report it says its her fault... they probably did i hope..

the good thing is that the Cop was Hispanic and since i switch to spanish mode when im nervous and shaken, he was able to settle me down and call a Emt..

[manual63]

Glad you are okay......

I used to not ride with lights, but now I always so, if I am commuting that is. If I am doing urban thrash, I don't use lights, but I also don't really ride in the road and it's usually bombing around downtown or the U. On my BMX bike, I usually ride on the sidewalks or paths and know cars won't see me, so I watch for them.

[KleinCrazy]

Gregorio,

Quick question, was it day or night when you were hit? Did the cops say if it makes a difference in time of day and lights/reflectors requirement?

At low light conditions, morning, night, evening I always havelights but not during the day.

James

[bikeoutback]

Gregorio,

Quick question, was it day or night when you were hit? Did the cops say if it makes a difference in time of day and lights/reflectors requirement?

At low light conditions, morning, night, evening I always havelights but not during the day.

James

I'm curious about this also since I have a homebrew on the bike but removed my reflectors, during the day I don't have the light on thought. Maybe I'll just put the cheesy reflectors back on if I'm gonna ride around town at all.... Nah.

[ppgc]

Reflective tape/paint count? :) Glad to hear you are okay.

[TrailPatrol]

It is actually a federal law that all bicycles from Huffy all the way to top-line Lightspeed be equipped with a front, rear and two wheel reflectors when sold. What you do with them afterwords is kinda like those "Do Not Remove Under Penalty of Law" tags on furniture.

The Minnesota state law requires says:
Subd. 6. Bicycle equipment. (a) No person shall
operate a bicycle at nighttime unless the bicycle or its
operator is equipped with a lamp which shall emit a white light
visible from a distance of at least 500 feet to the front and
with a red reflector of a type approved by the Department of
Public Safety which is visible from all distances from 100 feet
to 600 feet to the rear when directly in front of lawful lower
beams of headlamps on a motor vehicle. No person may operate a
bicycle at any time when there is not sufficient light to render
persons and vehicles on the highway clearly discernible at a
distance of 500 feet ahead unless the bicycle or its operator is
equipped with reflective surfaces that shall be visible during
the hours of darkness from 600 feet when viewed in front of
lawful lower beams of headlamps on a motor vehicle. The
reflective surfaces shall include reflective materials on each
side of each pedal to indicate their presence from the front or
the rear and with a minimum of 20 square inches of reflective
material on each side of the bicycle or its operator. Any
bicycle equipped with side reflectors as required by regulations
for new bicycles prescribed by the United States Consumer
Product Safety Commission shall be considered to meet the
requirements for side reflectorization contained in this
subdivision. A bicycle may be equipped with a rear lamp that
emits a red flashing signal.

It doesn't say you have to have them on the bike if you are not operating on a public area, like a MTB trail or such.

I have the headlights and flashing tail lights for my mountain bikes, but no light on front of my road bike. (Go figure :eyeroll: )

Ride visible.
Ride safe,
:banana:
Hans

[bigwheel]

Glad to hear you are okay.

If you want some *really* cheap bike tail lights, go to Menards. I picked up a couple 5-led bike lights, which were marked normally at $1.99 each, but got an extra 17% discount for putting it into their bag. ($1.65 each final cost) I can't even touch that price with a home brew.

The lights are bright, have all kinds of flash modes, and run on 2 AA batteries. Their only problem is that after a good jarring, they turn off. The battery contacts aren't as strong as they should be. I fixed this problem by putting a rubber band around the battery compartment to pull the contacts tighter against the battery. You can probably also do the same thing with a piece of tape.

[Tex]

These are the ones you can purchase and put on your bike. THey are very bright, light and cheap for all you Weightweenies out there!!

http://www.euromediagroup.us/barb_light.php?cat=20&id=45

Have a nice day

Hey, I have a few of these little buggers, they're great! I have a set on my commuter bike (front and rear) and I even have one on my key chain, just as a little headlight. If you haven't seen one of these things, you'll be amazed at how bright they are.

I'm pretty sure you can get them at any area bike shop, but I think I bought mine at Mill City Cycles in North East.

[ppgc]

"The reflective surfaces shall include reflective materials on each
side of each pedal to indicate their presence from the front or
the rear and with a minimum of 20 square inches of reflective
material on each side of the bicycle or its operator."

Is it just me or does that sound like a lot of square inches???

Thanks Hans for the post. :)

-pete

[Pink Pony]

Gregorio,

Quick question, was it day or night when you were hit? Did the cops say if it makes a difference in time of day and lights/reflectors requirement?

At low light conditions, morning, night, evening I always havelights but not during the day.

James

it was at night!! when i asked him he suggested the Wheel Reflectors are suggested as well..

Those and that "Plastic" thing that comes between the cAssette and the wheel is the FIRST thing i take off.

[Pink Pony]

Glad to hear you are okay.

If you want some *really* cheap bike tail lights, go to Menards. I picked up a couple 5-led bike lights, which were marked normally at $1.99 each, but got an extra 17% discount for putting it into their bag. ($1.65 each final cost) I can't even touch that price with a home brew.

The lights are bright, have all kinds of flash modes, and run on 2 AA batteries. Their only problem is that after a good jarring, they turn off. The battery contacts aren't as strong as they should be. I fixed this problem by putting a rubber band around the battery compartment to pull the contacts tighter against the battery. You can probably also do the same thing with a piece of tape.

You serious?? In which department?

[FarmerBEN]

A Irresponsible Driver Kissed me while commuting on my Bike. She fell asleep on the CAR while driving...y

shame on you to kiss and tell.... glad to hear you're alright though.

[bigwheel]

You serious?? In which department?

I think they were in the area where they keep all the flashlights and stuff.

I was amazed at the deal. $1.99 is their normal price!

[Pink Pony]

shame on you to kiss and tell.... glad to hear you're alright though.

LOL!!! yes i just had a slight concussion, but almost everything is normal by now thanks...

Mucho Mejor!

[jjrsds]

Glad your okay, and hope your bike is well.

[gordanfreeman]

Good to hear you are OK. I got broadsided by an SUV at night a cpl weeks back despite having front and rear flashing lights and 7 different reflectors on my bike and bag. Somehow I walked away unscathed save for a small scratch on my calf. The guy gave me $100 which more than paid for a wheel trueing which was all the damage my ride sustained. I'll get hit by a car every week if thats the outcome I get every time :crazy2:

Still disturbing that drivers don't see you despite all the precautions you might take. :embarass:

[Pink Pony]

Glad your okay, and hope your bike is well.

I am the bike was not that lucky.. :(

[Pink Pony]

Good to hear you are OK. I got broadsided by an SUV at night a cpl weeks back despite having front and rear flashing lights and 7 different reflectors on my bike and bag. Somehow I walked away unscathed save for a small scratch on my calf. The guy gave me $100 which more than paid for a wheel trueing which was all the damage my ride sustained. I'll get hit by a car every week if thats the outcome I get every time :crazy2:

Still disturbing that drivers don't see you despite all the precautions you might take. :embarass:

man next time call the cops anyway for if you have some other damages that might not show right away.. like the integrity of the frame etc.

[fasterfoster]

man next time call the cops anyway for if you have some other damages that might not show right away.. like the integrity of the frame etc.
Here's a site with good information. It's operated by a couple of guys from the Twin Cities.
http://www.velovengeance.com/

[col200]

sleeping? Geez! It's scary to think what's out there on the road. Glad to hear you just got "kissed" and not Killed! Cell phones, drunks drivers, SLEEPING behind the wheel, road rage, teenagers....It's a miracle I even go outside! :shocked:

[FarmerBEN]

I can relate over the past six years I have developed the ability to fall asleep anywhere including behind the wheel (frightening as hell). Fortunately it only happens to me after ten at night and if you are riding country roads that late you probably deserve to be hit.

[bigwheel]

Last night, I was messing with one of my tail lights ($1.99 from Menards), which was acting flakey. For giggles, I pulled it apart to see what was underneath. It is only two screws to pull the board off.

In addition to the flimsy contacts with the battery, the part where the battery contacts connect with the rest of the board is not soldered. The connection is just made via the two parts touching eachother. So, this is another place where jarring can cause the light to turn off. It only took me a couple minutes to solder mine on, but I thought you might want to know.

So in summary, the Menards lights are really cool and cheap, but plan to do some tweaking on them if you expect them to be able to handle any bouncing.