Bicycle Accident Claims in District of Columbia

Bicycles: in the District, anyone under 16 riding or operating a bicycle (or as a passenger) on a public roadway, bike path or other public right-of-way must wear a helmet; a parent or guardian who knowingly allows a violation faces a $25 fine, suspended for first-time violators. Bicycle riding on the sidewalk is permitted by statute, and bicyclists in crosswalks or on sidewalks have pedestrian rights but must yield to pedestrians.

Under the Motor Vehicle Collision Recovery Act, a pedestrian or "vulnerable user" (such as a cyclist or scooter, skateboard or motorcycle rider) hit by a motor vehicle or another vulnerable user is not barred from recovering because of his or her own negligence, unless that negligence was a proximate cause of the injury and greater than the combined negligence of all defendants.

Drivers must carry at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident in bodily injury liability coverage and $10,000 in property damage liability coverage (25/50/10), plus uninsured motorist coverage of $25,000/$50,000 for injury and $5,000 for property damage ($200 deductible). D.C. is an optional no-fault jurisdiction: insurers must offer personal injury protection (PIP), with medical benefits of at least $50,000, paid regardless of fault. A person who elects PIP benefits (within 60 days of the accident) may sue the at-fault driver only for serious injuries (such as substantial permanent scarring or impairment, or inability to perform daily activities for more than 180 days) or when medical expenses or work loss exceed the PIP benefits. Survivors may still sue for a death.

D.C. has no separate deadline that names personal injury; negligence-based injury claims fall under the general 3-year period for actions not otherwise specifically covered. Claims for assault, battery, libel, slander, false arrest or false imprisonment have 1 year.