The Law Offices of James M. Freeman, P.C.

Deerfield has its own fairly comprehensive bicycle laws on the books. Some things to keep in mind are:

Items to consider in Western Springs:

Naperville basically adopts the laws applicable to bicyclists in the Illinois Motor Vehicle Code.

Deerfield did it right with respect to their helmet law. Excerpted below, Deerfield's village code requires persons under the age of 16 to use a helmet, it provides for standards the helmet must meet, and it allows that proof of compliance within 10 days after the violation may be used as a defense. More importantly, Deerfield built in language that prohibits a lack of helmet to be used against a cyclist in a civil suit. This means that drivers who negligently hit a cyclist who was not wearing a helmet will not be able to assert the lack of helmet as evidence of contributory negligence.

I'll be giving a presentation and answering questions about bicycling and the law at the upcoming Arlington Heights Bicycle Club meeting. The meeting will be held on May 27, 2009 at 7:30 pm at 500 E. Miner Avenue (Recreation Park) in Arlington Heights. In anticipation of my presentation I thought it appropriate to examine the local law relating to the use and operation of bicycles.

Many suburbs require cyclists to ride single file. Although Illinois Law allows that cyclists may ride two abreast, municipalities can pass their own restrictions regarding the operation of bicycles within their city limits. Accordingly, in Chicago, and many suburbs cyclists are required to ride single file.

Most Chicago cyclists know that a white headlight and red rear reflector are required under Illinois State Law and the Chicago Municipal Ordinance. While Illinois State law does not specifically require a red rear light, many municipalities do require red taillights. Municipalities can require bicyclists to use equipment in addition to that which is required under Illinois Law, so if you are caught in such a municipality without required equipment you may be cited for a violation of the municipal code.

Apparently Barrington Hills, Illinois, has made a clear effort to crack down on cyclists. They recently passed two ordinances aimed at keeping cyclists in check. The first new ordinance requires cyclists within Barrington Hills to ride single file. Cyclists riding two abreast (or more) in Barrington Hills risk being cited with a violation of the statute, and cyclists involved in accidents while riding two abreast can expect their violation of this statute to be used against them in any civil action arising out of that accident.