Group Riding on E-Bikes in Florida

Two Abreast Is Lawful. Three Is Not

Fla. Stat. § 316.2065(6)(a) provides that persons riding bicycles upon a roadway or in a bicycle lane “may not ride more than two abreast except on a bicycle path.”

Read it plainly: two abreast is permitted on a roadway and in a bicycle lane. It is not a concession and it is not conditional on traffic. Drivers frequently believe otherwise, and riders frequently believe it too — which is why groups singling out unnecessarily is so common.

Three or more abreast on a roadway is not permitted. On a bicycle path the restriction does not apply by the terms of the subsection, though the ordinary duty to other path users does.

The rest of § 316.2065 applies to a group as it does to an individual, through Fla. Stat. § 316.20655(1). Lane position under § 316.2065(5)(a) where traveling slower than traffic, with the “practicable” standard and its exceptions. The one-way rule in § 316.2065(5)(b). Lighting between sunset and sunrise under § 316.2065(7) — for every rider, not just the ends of the group. And § 316.2065(4), which prohibits attaching yourself or the bicycle to any vehicle on a roadway.

The Real Problem in a Group Is Mixed Speeds

Most incidents in group riding do not involve a driver at all. They involve riders arriving at the same piece of road at different speeds.

E-bikes make that worse in a way that has nothing to do with skill. A Class 3 machine assists to 28 mph under Fla. Stat. § 316.003(23)(c); a Class 1 assists to 20 mph under (23)(a); an unassisted bicycle does whatever its rider can. A mixed group has three different natural cruising speeds, three different closing rates into junctions, and three different braking loads — e-bikes being heavier.

• Agree the pace before setting off, and set it to the slowest rider rather than regrouping repeatedly. Repeated regrouping is itself a hazard.
• Put the heaviest, fastest machines where they cannot run into anyone. Braking distances differ substantially between a loaded e-bike and a road bicycle.
• Leave more gap than feels necessary. The rider behind you cannot see what you can, and an e-bike behind you needs more room to stop.
• Call and point hazards — surface defects, drain covers, parked cars, opening doors — and pass them back through the group.
• Announce slowing and stopping, in a group and out loud.
• Nobody overlaps wheels. A touch of wheels is how a single rider’s error becomes several riders on the ground.
• Ride predictably. Sudden movement is what causes group crashes.

Legally Reviewed By

David I. Shiner, Esq.

Founder, Shiner Law Group · AV Preeminent® rated · Florida Bar member since 2002

David I. Shiner founded Shiner Law Group and has been a member of The Florida Bar since 2002. He is a graduate of Nova Southeastern University’s law school and holds an AV Preeminent® rating from Martindale-Hubbell. The firm represents injured people across Florida from offices in Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Pierce, Orlando, Wellington, and Belle Glade, and handles these cases on a contingency basis with free consultations and no attorney’s fee unless there is a recovery.

Content on this page legally reviewed by David I. Shiner, Esq. · Fla. Bar No. 572721 About this site →

How a Group Is Treated by Drivers, and by the Law

A group changes driver behavior, mostly for the better and occasionally for the worse.

The duty owed does not change. Fla. Stat. § 316.083(2) and (3) require a driver overtaking “the bicycle or other nonmotorized vehicle or electric bicycle” to pass at not less than 3 feet, and that is owed to each rider. § 316.130(15) requires due care from every driver. § 316.151(1)(a)2. permits a right turn past a bicycle only if it is at least 20 feet from the intersection and the turn can safely be made — a condition that gets harder to satisfy with a line of riders, not easier.

A tight group of two abreast is genuinely more visible than a scattered line, and takes less time to overtake than the same riders strung out over a hundred yards. Where the lane is too narrow for a driver to give 3 feet without changing lanes, riding two abreast makes that unmistakable rather than inviting a squeeze.

Where it goes wrong is at junctions. A driver who has judged a gap for the front of a group may pull out into the middle of it. Approaching a junction, a group should expect to be treated as several separate vehicles rather than one.

If a Group Ride Ends in a Crash

Group crashes have one enormous advantage over solo ones and one complication.

The advantage: witnesses. Independent accounts are the scarcest evidence in most e-bike claims and the first to disappear. In a group they are already present. Get names and numbers at the scene, before anyone rides on — and ask everyone to write down what they saw the same day, while it is fresh.

The complication: apportionment among riders. Under Fla. Stat. § 768.81(2) fault is apportioned among everyone whose negligence contributed, and § 768.81(6) bars recovery by a party found more than 50 percent at fault for their own harm. Where one rider’s sudden movement brought others down, that rider can be a responsible party. It is uncomfortable and it is better understood in advance.

• Get the crash report number — confidential 60 days under § 316.066(2)(a), available to a party under § 316.066(2)(b).
• Photograph the scene before machines are moved, including the whole group’s positions.
• Preserve every damaged bicycle, not just the worst one. If a component failed, that is a product claim.
• Photograph classification labels required by § 316.20655(3).
• Collect ride data — group members' GPS and camera files, which establish speed and position and are overwritten or deleted quickly.

See evidence that proves the case.

Frequently Asked Questions