Q&A - Cyclists and texting

Q&A ImageI witnessed an accident the other day between a cyclist and a truck. The cyclist was riding with no hands, looking down while texting on his cell phone. He did not notice that he had come to an intersection and rode into the side of a truck. He was not wearing a helmet and received more than a few injuries requiring an ambulance to attend. Are cyclists not required to obey the sections of the motor vwhicle act in a case like this?

You are correct, the rider of the bicycle is prohibited from texting while operating his cycle.

Rights and duties of operator of cycle

183 (1) In addition to the duties imposed by this section, a person operating a cycle on a highway has the same rights and duties as a driver of a vehicle.

Even though all the sections of Part 3.1 of the Motor Vehicle Act do say "motor vehicle," section 183 makes it apply equally to cyclists.