Commuting kit: what the law asks for on the way to work.

Commuter training comes first

This guide does not describe how to ride in traffic; we suggest learning that on the road with a qualified instructor. National schemes cover it. In England, Bikeability Level 3 under the Department for Transport's National Standard (June 2018) covers more complex, often busier or faster roads and junctions. Cycling Canada's CAN-BIKE programme includes a Commuter Cycling Skills course of 3 to 4 hours. In the US, League Cycling Instructors, certified by the League of American Bicyclists, teach its Smart Cycling curriculum to adults. The learning to ride page has more on each.

The Highway Code: law and advice

In the Highway Code for Great Britain, MUST and MUST NOT rules are legal requirements that cite the law; "should" rules are advice that can still be used in court to help establish liability (introduction, updated 22 October 2025). For a commuter's kit, the split looks like this:

Rule 68 matters for anyone thinking of carrying a child or a second rider: the cycle has to be built or adapted for a passenger. The 2022 changes, in force from 29 January 2022, also added a "hierarchy of road users" and, in Rule 163, guidance that drivers leave at least 1.5 metres when overtaking cyclists at up to 30 mph. That figure is worded as a guide, so it is advice rather than law. In the US, NCSL counted 35 states and the District of Columbia requiring drivers to leave at least 3 feet when passing a cyclist (count as of September 2021). Other counts differ: an NCSL Legisbrief of 2018, seen in a search summary, counted 32 states with a three-foot law; the League of American Bicyclists, an advocacy group, is summarised on one of its pages as giving 38 states and the District of Columbia with a defined passing distance (undated), while another, undated League page gives 24 states and the District of Columbia. The differences may come from the dates and definitions of the counts, but we could not confirm that. The road rules page covers the rest.

When commuters are hurt

• Great Britain (DfT pedal cycle factsheet 2024, published 25 September 2025): on weekdays, cyclists killed or seriously injured peak between 7 and 10 am and between 4 and 7 pm.
• United States (NHTSA, 2024 data, published July 2026): 81 percent of cyclist deaths were in urban areas, 52 percent happened in the dark, and 6 pm to 8:59 pm had the highest share on weekdays, at 21 percent.

These figures show when and where casualties happen. They do not show what any item of kit would have changed, and we draw no such conclusion. The casualty figures page has the full data.

Commuting by e-bike

What counts as an e-bike, rather than a motor vehicle, is set by law:

• Great Britain: the government's information sheet (updated 10 December 2024) describes an electrically assisted pedal cycle as having pedals that can propel it and a motor of no more than 250 watts that stops assisting at 15.5 mph; anyone 14 or over may ride one. A bike that does not meet the rules is treated as a motor vehicle needing registration, insurance, tax, a licence and a motorcycle helmet.
• Northern Ireland: nidirect gives the same limits and says no licence, registration, tax or insurance is needed, though insurance is advised.
• United States: federal law (15 U.S.C. 2085) defines a low-speed electric bicycle as a product; where and how one may be ridden is state law. California's AB 1096 (2015) defines three classes and bars riders under 16 from Class 3.

Battery fires are the other e-bike question, and the guidance comes from fire services and regulators. London Fire Brigade (28 January 2026) reported a record 206 e-bike and e-scooter fires in London in 2025, 171 of them involving e-bikes, and named lithium-ion battery failure, conversion kits and chargers as frequent causes, with products bought online that do not meet UK safety standards particularly prone to fire. The UK's Office for Product Safety and Standards (27 February 2025) advises buying e-bikes from reputable sellers, using parts the maker recommends and getting professional help for conversions and repairs. New York City's Local Law 39 of 2023 requires e-bikes sold, leased or rented there to be certified to UL 2849 and lithium-ion batteries to UL 2271 (city consumer agency, 8 September 2023). The e-bike batteries page gives each body's guidance in full; charging and storage instructions come from the battery's maker and the fire services, not from this site.

Leaving the bike at work

Sold Secure describes its Gold grade as meant for high-value bikes or high-risk areas such as big cities, and recommends a lock with its powered cycle rating for an e-bike. It also says insurers often name a required grade in their policy wording. The locks guide has each grade.

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