Association rule
The association rule in driving traffic is defined in § 27 StVO and states that groups of cyclists with more than 15 participants are allowed to drive side by side in road traffic in pairs. Using Paid biking trails are for this group irrelevant.
purpose
With this measure, the legislature wants to achieve that excessive road use by cyclists is reduced to a minimum and at the same time that car traffic is not unnecessarily burdened. On the other hand, he wants to prevent an association (here: cyclists) from being separated.
background
From a legal perspective, each association is regarded as a vehicle, comparable to a truck with a trailer.
When the first bicycle has passed a traffic light system when it is green, the rest of the vehicle group can also drive through, even if the traffic light has long since changed to red. If the first bicycle enters an intersection, observing the right of way, all cyclists are allowed to follow it, even if other vehicles appear on the right of way or from the right.
This is also known as the rule of sixteen , as it only applies to more than fifteen cyclists
The association should be clearly visible. The recognizability can be increased, for example, that the first and last driver is clearly recognizable ( safety vest ).
Associations are occasionally escorted by support vehicles . If this is the case, the escort vehicles take over traffic control. In addition, motorcycles can take over the side train protection if necessary.
