It all comes down to mutual consideration
Keep enough distance
Regardless of the type of road use: “The most important and universally applicable traffic rule is and remains mutual consideration – by everyone and for everyone using the road,” says Luis Ancona, an accident researcher at DEKRA. Without a good understanding of the traffic rules, dangerous situations and accidents can easily occur, especially on busy roads.
As a reminder, Ancona notes that, for example in Germany and Austria, motor vehicles must maintain a distance of at least 1.5 meters when overtaking cyclists in built-up areas, and at least 2 meters in non-built-up areas. There is a general ban on stopping on roads with cycle lanes. The dashed line at the edge of the road must only be crossed if this is absolutely necessary – for example, to avoid an obstacle or a construction site. A continuous white line marks cycle lanes that cars are not even allowed to use to avoid each other. Cycle lanes must only be crossed for turning in and out and to reach parking spaces.
However, some cyclists are also not properly informed about certain rules. This was the result of a survey conducted by the opinion research institute forsa in 2024, in which almost all respondents (96 percent) had a driving license for cars. Only a minority of respondents (33 percent) were aware that pedestrian zones with the additional sign “Cyclists allowed” only allow walking speed. Nevertheless, almost everyone knew that cyclists had to be considerate of pedestrians in these areas.
When it comes to signposted bicycle paths and signs such as “Pedestrian and bicycle path”, many respondents were unaware that cyclists must use the bicycle path and are not allowed to ride on the road in areas where this signage is displayed. However, exceptions to this apply: For example, if a bicycle path is unreasonable or unusable, or if it is too dangerous to navigate due to parked cars or unclear junctions. Additionally, if cargo bikes or bikes with trailers cannot be safely ridden on a bicycle path, they are permitted to move onto the road.