Leesburg bike lawyer Landau answers questions raised by Loudoun "MS-8" charity bikers case and NBC news coverage

Leesburg, Loudoun and Fairfax County  bikers lawyer Doug Landau answering questions at the Reston Bike Club ride in Herndon, Virginia
Leesburg, Loudoun and Fairfax County bikers lawyer Doug Landau answering questions at the Reston Bike Club ride in Herndon, Virginia

If I get ticketed while riding my bike I could lose my license to drive my car, but if I get my license to drive my car suspended, do I lose my bicycle privileges ?”

Do I now have to carry my drivers license when I ride my bicycle ?

Are the Loudoun, Fairfax and Leesburg police now going to write me up for not having reflectors and lights when I ride with my bike club ?

These are some of the questions that came flooding into TriathlonTrialLawyer Doug Landau’s office after Tuesday’s Court case in Leesburg, the Loudoun Times article , comments on the blogsphere and Thursday’s coverage on the NBC evening news. While the ABRAMS LANDAU injury and disability lawyer spends most of his time helping injured cyclists, athletes, workers and their families, his answers to these questions are as follows:

1. If your drivers license is suspended or revoked, you can still ride your bicycle. It is an interesting hypothetical though. What if you continue to accumulate “points” for biking infractions, have no drivers license, can you continue to “bike with impunity” as long as you pay the fines ?

2. No, you are not required to carry your drivers license while biking. While I do carry identification, a few dollars (in case I bonk or need some dough for a date), first aid kit, a cell phone, 3-way wrench or swiss army knife, camera (annoying, I know), and some electrolytes, I do not carry my drivers license (or passport) because I might lose these important documents and no law requires that I maintain them with me while cycling.

3. Reflectors and lights are for riding after sunset and prior to sunrise. If the police or sheriff’s offices start ticketing for not having these items during daylight hours, it would be hard to imagine a Commonwealth’s Attorney taking the case to trial. When I prosecuted cases in Florida for the State Attorney’s Office, I would not have tried such a case. The police, courts and prosecutors have better things to do that pursue daytime reflector and light charges.

Thank you for your questions, comments and suggestions.

6 responses on “Leesburg bike lawyer Landau answers questions raised by Loudoun "MS-8" charity bikers case and NBC news coverage

  1. Jeffrey Widom

    A few people asked questions during this weekend’s Harpers Ferry Ride such as:

    1. How does Virginia ticket minors for not stopping at a stop sign within a small community?

    2. How does Virginia handle adults who do not have driver’s licenses?

    3. Are there any laws in Virginia regarding if/when your biking privileges are suspended due to citations?

    I thought these were interesting comments by passionate bike riders.

  2. Jeffrey Widom

    A few people asked questions during this weekend’s Harpers Ferry Ride such as:

    1. How does Virginia ticket minors for not stopping at a stop sign within a small community?

    2. How does Virginia handle adults who do not have driver’s licenses?

    3. Are there any laws in Virginia regarding if/when your biking privileges are suspended due to citations?

    I thought these were interesting comments by passionate bike riders.

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