Rules of the Road for Cyclists and Drivers
by Nancy Wood,
June 30, 2011, page 9.....

Under Vermont law, “every person riding a bicycle is granted all of the rights and is subject to all of the duties applicable to operators of vehicles, except as to those provisions which by their very nature can have no application.” In other words, cyclists have the right to use the roads and to be treated with caution and respect by the drivers of motor vehicles. But they also have the responsibility to obey the same rules as motor vehicles, such as riding on the right side of the road, stopping at stop signs and red lights, passing with caution and using appropriate hand signals when turning. New provisions in the law during the 2010 legislative session added additional rights and duties. Here are some of the rules of the road that affect bicyclists:
1. Motor vehicle drivers “shall exercise due care” when approaching or passing a “vulnerable user” of the road (such as pedestrians, cyclists, roller bladers or horseback riders), giving plenty of clearance, only crossing the center of the highway when the way ahead is clear of approaching traffic and not returning to the right side of the road until safely clear of the vulnerable user. Cyclists should demonstrate the same caution when approaching or passing other vulnerable users. In the presence of horses, both drivers and cyclists are expected to proceed using “every reasonable precaution to prevent the frightening” of the horse and “to ensure the safety and protection of the animal and the person riding or driving” it.
2. An occupant of a vehicle shall not throw any object or substance at a vulnerable user. 
3.  Drivers and cyclists must signal when turning right or left. For cyclists, a left turn is indicated by extending the left hand and arm horizontally. For a right turn, either the left hand and arm are extended upward, or the right hand and arm are extended horizontally to the right side of the bicycle. When stopping or decreasing speed, the left hand and arm should be extended downward. 
4. Cyclists may not carry more persons than the number for which their bike is designed and equipped. 
5. Cyclists may not attach themselves or their bicycle to a motor vehicle.
6.  Cyclists shall ride as near to the right side of the roadway as practicable, but shall ride to the left or in a left lane when preparing for a left turn, approaching an intersection with a right-turn lane if not turning right at the intersection, overtaking another highway user, or avoiding hazards. 
7.  Cyclists may not ride more than two abreast except on paths or parts of roadways set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles or except as otherwise permitted in connection with a public sporting event. People riding two abreast shall not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic and, on a laned roadway, shall ride within a single lane. 
8. At night – defined as one-half hour after sunset until one-half hour before sunrise – the bicycle or the bicyclist must be equipped with a lamp on the front which emits a white light visible from a distance of at least 500 feet to the front. On the rear of the bicycle or bicyclist there must be a lamp which emits a flashing or steady red light visible at least 300 feet to the rear, or reflective, rear-facing material or reflectors, or both, with a surface area totaling at least 20 square inches on the bicycle or bicyclist and visible at least 300 feet to the rear. 
This is a summary of only some of the Vermont regulations that affect drivers and cyclists. Motor vehicle laws can be found in the Vermont Statutes, Title 23, Chapter 13, searchable online at Michie’s Legal Resources (michie.com).