House File 2333 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 2333 BY GERHOLD , BRADLEY , and BUSH A BILL FOR An Act relating to bicyclists’ right-of-way at certain 1 crosswalks, and making penalties applicable. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 5379HH (2) 89 th/ns
H.F. 2333 Section 1. Section 321.327, subsection 1, Code 2022, is 1 amended to read as follows: 2 1. Where traffic-control signals are not in place 3 or in operation , the driver of a vehicle shall yield the 4 right-of-way, slowing down or stopping if need be to so yield, 5 to a pedestrian or a person riding a bicycle crossing the 6 roadway within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked 7 crosswalk at an intersection, except as otherwise provided in 8 this chapter . 9 EXPLANATION 10 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 11 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 12 Under current law, a person riding a bicycle on a highway 13 is subject to the provisions of Code chapter 321 (motor 14 vehicles and law of the road) and has all the rights and 15 duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle, except those 16 provisions which by their nature can have no application or 17 those provisions for which specific exceptions have been set 18 forth regarding police bicycles (Code section 321.234). In 19 addition, current law penalizes certain actions against persons 20 riding a bicycle, such as steering a vehicle unreasonably close 21 to the bicycle or projecting an object at the bicycle (Code 22 section 321.281). 23 This bill requires the driver of a vehicle to yield the 24 right-of-way to a person riding a bicycle crossing the roadway 25 within any marked crosswalk, or within any unmarked crosswalk 26 at an intersection, in the same manner required when yielding 27 to pedestrians where traffic-control signals are not in place 28 or in operation. 29 A driver of a vehicle convicted of a violation under the 30 bill is guilty of a simple misdemeanor punishable by a $135 31 scheduled fine. By operation of law, if the violation causes a 32 serious injury, a court could impose an additional fine of $500 33 or suspend the person’s driver’s license for not more than 90 34 days, or both. If the violation causes a death, a court could 35 -1- LSB 5379HH (2) 89 th/ns 1/ 2
H.F. 2333 impose an additional fine of $1,000 or suspend the person’s 1 driver’s license for not more than 180 days, or both (Code 2 section 321.482A). 3 -2- LSB 5379HH (2) 89 th/ns 2/ 2