Senate Bill sb1550

    Florida Senate - 2005                                  SB 1550

    By Senator King





    8-1314-05                                           See HB 357

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to bicycle regulation; amending

  3         s. 316.2065, F.S.; revising safety standard

  4         requirements for bicycle helmets that must be

  5         worn by certain riders and passengers;

  6         providing for enforcement of certain bicycle

  7         equipment requirements; providing penalties for

  8         violations; providing for dismissal of a first

  9         offense; providing an effective date.

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11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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13         Section 1.  Paragraph (d) of subsection (3) and

14  subsection (8) of section 316.2065, Florida Statutes, are

15  amended to read:

16         316.2065  Bicycle regulations.--

17         (3)

18         (d)  A bicycle rider or passenger who is under 16 years

19  of age must wear a bicycle helmet that is properly fitted and

20  is fastened securely upon the passenger's head by a strap, and

21  that meets the federal safety standard for bicycle helmets,

22  final rule, 16 C.F.R. part 1203. Helmets purchased prior to

23  October 1, 2005, and meeting standards of the American

24  National Standards Institute (ANSI Z 90.4 Bicycle Helmet

25  Standards), the standards of the Snell Memorial Foundation

26  (1984 Standard for Protective Headgear for Use in Bicycling),

27  or any other nationally recognized standards for bicycle

28  helmets adopted by the department may continue to be worn by

29  riders or passengers until January 1, 2009. As used in this

30  subsection, the term "passenger" includes a child who is

31  riding in a trailer or semitrailer attached to a bicycle.

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2005                                  SB 1550
    8-1314-05                                           See HB 357




 1         (8)  Every bicycle in use between sunset and sunrise

 2  shall be equipped with a lamp on the front exhibiting a white

 3  light visible from a distance of at least 500 feet to the

 4  front and a lamp and reflector on the rear each exhibiting a

 5  red light visible from a distance of 600 feet to the rear. A

 6  bicycle or its rider may be equipped with lights or reflectors

 7  in addition to those required by this section. Law enforcement

 8  officers may issue a bicycle safety brochure and a verbal

 9  warning to a bicycle rider who violates this subsection. A

10  bicycle rider who violates this subsection may be issued a

11  citation by a law enforcement officer and assessed a fine for

12  a pedestrian violation, as provided in s. 318.18. The court

13  shall dismiss the charge against a bicycle rider for a first

14  violation of this paragraph upon proof of purchase and

15  installation of the proper lighting equipment.

16         Section 2.  This act shall take effect October 1, 2005.

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.