Spring bike rallies are coming to Myrtle Beach. Remember these key road rules

In the gap between waves of spring breakers and crowds of summer vacationers, the Grand Strand welcomes scores of bikers rolling through the Myrtle Beach area.

This year’s Spring Myrtle Beach Bike Rally, often called Spring Bike Week, will run Friday, May 8, through Sunday, May 17. Soon after, the Atlantic Beach Memorial Day Black Pearl Cultural Heritage and Bike Festival, more commonly known as Black Bike Week, will span Friday, May 22, through Monday, May 25.

As roads get louder and more crowded, here are the traffic laws bikers should know.

Wearing helmets

While most bikers can ride without helmets in South Carolina, state law requires those under 21 to wear Department of Public Safety-approved helmets and eye protection, like goggles or face shields. The same law applies to riders on trikes, but fully enclosed three-wheeled vehicles are exempt, as they aren’t considered motorcycles.

Running red lights

Some red lights use weight sensors that aren’t sensitive enough to register smaller vehicles like motorcycles and mopeds. To prevent riders from getting caught at red lights indefinitely, South Carolina law offers an exemption to let riders through red lights under specific conditions.

Riders yielding to oncoming traffic can legally proceed through a steady red light after coming to a complete stop for two minutes and determining it’s safe to proceed.

Splitting lanes

Some states allow motorcyclists to split lanes, but South Carolina isn’t one of them. Only police officers performing official duties are permitted to drive between two lanes of traffic or weave between lanes to pass cars on the road.

Sharing lanes

Motorcycles are entitled to use a full lane in South Carolina, but bikers are allowed to share. State law permits two motorcycles to be operated abreast in the same lane. In the city of Myrtle Beach, two bikes can also share the same public parking spot. City parking meters offer specific instructions.

Littering

Unlike cars, motorcycles offer less storage space to hang onto trash, but tossing litter hurts wildlife and pollutes local neighborhoods. Litterbugs can also face fines, as it’s against South Carolina to dispose of solid waste from a vehicle on waters, public land and even private property without the owner’s permission.

Excessive noise making

Burning rubber and revving engines is tradition at bike rallies, but motorcyclists should watch out for noise ordinances. In Myrtle Beach, the city prohibits operating vehicles to create noise, and the ordinance specifically cites burn-outs and rapid acceleration.