Bicycles will soon be allowed to emit sound and vibration in the form of “bicycle horn sounds” for the first time in California.
Under a new law passed last week by the state Senate, the Department of Motor Vehicles will be allowed in California to allow bicycle horns to be used in a public place.
The department is currently in the process of licensing the devices and determining whether they are legal in California, but has not set a date.
Bike horns have been used in the United States for centuries, but the devices are typically attached to the front of a bicycle or the rear of a motorbike.
The sound can be heard as the bicycle speeds up or slows down.
The horns have a range of between 30 and 150 decibels and are a common nuisance in the Bay Area, where more than 3 million people ride a bicycle every day, according to the California Bicycle Coalition.
But many bicycle advocates argue that the devices do not contribute to road safety and are an unnecessary annoyance.
California’s bike laws are among the toughest in the nation.
The law requires bicycle riders to wear helmets and provide special markings at the front and back of their helmets to deter riding with one eye open, and it also requires riders to signal when they pass a stopped bicycle.
It’s unclear how the new law will affect the devices, which are already legal in at least nine states.
The Department of Transportation has not yet decided whether it will allow the use of the devices on public roads in California or whether the department will review the use permit.
California State Sen. Steve Gallardo, who sponsored the law, said he is hopeful that the new rule will make bicycling safer and reduce the number of bicycle accidents.
“We want to make sure that people are not having to wear a helmet,” Gallardo said.
“Bicycles are safer, more comfortable to ride on the roads, and they’re more fun to ride.”
Gillardo said he plans to introduce a bill this session that would allow the department to license “bicycling horns” to be installed on bikes.
The bill, which he said he’s calling the Bicycle Safety Act, would allow California to ban the devices from being on any vehicle in California by Jan. 1, 2020.
“If you’re going to use a horn, I’m not sure if you’re in a bicycle safety mode or not,” he said.
The Department of Transport, in a statement, said it would continue to work with the department on issuing and monitoring use permits for the devices.
“The department will continue to provide guidance to all operators on their use of bicycle horns,” the statement said.