When I ride my bicycle to work and school in GainesvilleI like to listen to my i-pod. Is that legal? What about a hands-free cell phone headset?

 

A:

This is an important question that is relevant to many people and has serious safety implications.

It is not legal to ride a bicycle while listening to headphones or any listening device such as an i-pod.

Bicyclists need to be aware of traffic and the environment around them, including pedestrians. A hands-free cell phone is an exception and may legally be used while biking, as long as the phone only provides sounds through one ear.

However, as a bike personal injury lawyer in Gainesville, I do not recommend riding and talking on the phone, even with a hands-free phone, because it increases the risk of distraction.

For more information:

Bicyclists - Know the Law and Stay Alive

http://www.meldonlaw.com/faqs/do-i-and-my-children-reallynbsphave-to-follow-the-same-traffic-laws-that-cars-and-trucks-follow.cfm

http://www.meldonlaw.com/blog/we-dont-have-to-wait-for-it-to-be-law-to-turn-off-the-cell-phone-while-driving.cfm

http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=Ch0316/SEC304.HTM&Title=->2008->Ch0316->Section%20304#0316.304




I am local Accident Attorney, Jeffrey Meldon, and I strongly believe that public education is the first step in the prevention of and/or recovery from a serious accident. 

My Office and I take pride in our work, and the results we get for our clients.  

The Law Office of Jeffrey Meldon and Associates is a regional law firm that is located in Gainesville, Florida. We are personal injury lawyers, litigators and trial lawyers that have been working to get accident victims the justice they deserve for over 37 years throughout North Florida and all over Florida. Accidents involving a car crash, truck wreck, and motorcycle, bicycle, or pedestrian accidents, dog bites, slip and falls and medical malpractice are all included in their practice as accident attorneys.

We have been proudly representing injured accident victims in Gainesville, Ocala, Lake City, Inverness, Daytona Beach, Dunnellon, Palatka, The Villages, and Alachua County, Marion County, Columbia County, Citrus County, Volusia County, Sumter County, Putnam County  and the entire North and Central Florida since 1971.

For more information on how we can help you, or with any other question you may have, feel free to contact my Office at 1 800 373 8000.