Personal Injury
Road & Recreation Safety
5 statutes with plain-language summaries, case relevance, source links, and related Michigan practice areas.
Statutory text checked against the Michigan Compiled Laws, complete through PA 16 of 2026, on June 12, 2026.
Road & Recreation Safety
5 statutes"Each person riding a bicycle, electric bicycle, electric personal assistive mobility device, electric skateboard, or moped or operating a low-speed vehicle or commercial quadricycle upon a roadway has all of the rights and is subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle under this chapter," subject to special regulations and provisions that by their nature do not apply.Read Full Statute
Michigan generally gives people riding bicycles, electric bicycles, electric personal assistive mobility devices, electric skateboards, mopeds, low-speed vehicles, and commercial quadricycles the same roadway rights and duties as drivers, except where a special rule applies or the vehicle rule does not fit.
This statute helps counter the common defense theme that cyclists and similar road users do not belong on the road. It supports a fact-specific liability analysis when a driver fails to yield, passes unsafely, or ignores a lawful roadway position.
We use roadway rights, crash location evidence, sight lines, and driver conduct to prove whether the injured person was operating lawfully and whether the motorist's choices caused the crash.
Michigan passing rules require a driver overtaking another vehicle proceeding in the same direction to pass at a safe distance and return only when safely clear. A driver overtaking a bicycle must pass at least 3 feet to the left, or, if 3 feet is impracticable, at a safe distance and safe speed.Read Full Statute
Michigan passing rules require drivers to pass at a safe distance and return to the right only when safely clear. When overtaking a bicycle, a driver must pass at least 3 feet to the left, or, if 3 feet is impracticable, at a safe distance and safe speed.
Close-pass crashes can be powerful evidence of negligence, but liability still depends on causation, comparative fault, roadway conditions, and witness or video proof.
We investigate vehicle path, lane width, impact marks, video, and witness statements to show whether a driver passed too closely or returned too soon.
Michigan motorcycle helmet rules allow limited adult helmet choice only when the rider meets statutory age, endorsement, experience or safety-course, and insurance conditions. Always verify the current statutory requirements at the official source.Read Full Statute
Michigan allows some adult riders to ride without a helmet if statutory conditions are met, including age, endorsement, experience or safety-course requirements, and required insurance coverage.
Helmet nonuse does not automatically bar a motorcycle claim. It may become a comparative-fault or damages argument depending on the injury and whether the statutory conditions were met.
We separate crash fault from injury-causation arguments and use medical and reconstruction experts when insurers try to overstate helmet-related defenses.
Michigan prohibits operating a motorboat while intoxicated or visibly impaired, with criminal penalties and evidentiary consequences that may also support a related civil negligence claim when intoxicated operation causes injury.Read Full Statute
Michigan prohibits operating a motorboat while intoxicated or visibly impaired. The statute is part of Michigan's Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act boating provisions.
BUI evidence can support negligence and causation in a boating injury case, but the civil claim still requires proof that the intoxicated operation caused the harm.
We obtain conservation-officer reports, toxicology, witness statements, rental records, and GPS or marina evidence to connect impaired operation to the crash.
When crossing a public highway, a snowmobile operator must generally stop before entering the highway, yield to approaching vehicles, and cross at approximately a right angle when the crossing can be made safely.Read Full Statute
When crossing a public highway, a snowmobile operator must generally stop, yield to vehicles, and cross at approximately a right angle when the crossing can be made safely.
A road-crossing violation can support negligence arguments, but it does not create automatic recovery. Comparative fault, signage, visibility, motorist conduct, and trail design still matter.
We document stop location, sight distance, signage, trail approach, vehicle speed, and witness accounts to determine how fault should be allocated.