South Carolina S 812: Stop-as-Yield Law

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 812 Text of Previous Version (May. 05, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 812

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

Indicates Matter 
Stricken

Indicates New Matter

Committee Report

May 5, 2026

S. 812

Introduced 
by Senators Rankin and Walker 

S. Printed 5/5/26--H.

Read the first time April 2, 2026

________

The committee on House Education and 
Public Works

To whom was referred a Bill (S. 812) to amend 
the South Carolina Code of Laws by amending Section 56-5-970, relating to the 
traffic-control signal legend, so as to require a person riding a bicycle, 
etc., respectfully

Report:

That they have duly and carefully considered 
the same, and recommend that the same do pass:

SHANNON ERICKSON for Committee.

statement of estimated fiscal impact

Explanation of Fiscal Impact

State Expenditure

This bill specifies that a bicycle operator 
may proceed through an intersection on a steady red light if the rider makes a 
complete stop before entering the intersection and yields the right-of-way to 
all oncoming traffic. Currently, a bicycle rider must come to a complete stop 
at the intersection for one hundred twenty seconds before proceeding through 
the intersection. The bill also allows a person operating a bicycle to make a 
right-hand turn at a steady red traffic-control light without stopping after 
slowing to a reasonable speed and yielding the right-of-way to any oncoming 
traffic. Additionally, the operator of a bicycle may make a left-hand turn 
onto a one-way road at a steady red traffic-control light after stopping and 
yielding to oncoming traffic. Further, the bill allows a person who is 
operating a bicycle to proceed through an intersection without stopping at a 
stop sign if it is safe to do so.

DMV indicates that this bill does not 
operationally or fiscally affect the agency. Therefore, there is no fiscal 
impact to DMV.

Frank A. Rainwater, Executive Director

Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office

_______

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING 
SECTION 56-5-970, RELATING TO THE TRAFFIC-CONTROL SIGNAL LEGEND, SO AS TO 
REQUIRE A PERSON RIDING A BICYCLE TO STOP FULLY AT A RED LIGHT BUT TO ALLOW THE 
PERSON TO PROCEED WHEN IT IS SAFE TO DO SO; AND BY ADDING SECTION 56-5-3530 SO 
AS TO ALLOW A PERSON RIDING A BICYCLE TO YIELD AT STOP SIGNS WHEN IT IS SAFE TO 
DO SO.

Be it enacted by the 
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Section 56-5-970 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 Section 
56-5-970. Whenever traffic is controlled by 
traffic-control signals exhibiting different colored lights or colored lighted 
arrows, successively one at a time or in combination, only the colors, green, 
red, and yellow, shall be used except for special pedestrian signals carrying a 
word legend. Such lights shall indicate and apply to drivers of vehicles and 
pedestrians as follows:

 (A) 
Green indication:

 (1) 
Vehicular traffic facing a circular green signal may proceed straight through 
or turn right or left unless a sign at such place prohibits either such turn. 
But vehicular traffic, including vehicles turning right or left, shall yield 
the right-of-way to other vehicles and to pedestrians lawfully within the 
intersection or an adjacent crosswalk at the time such signal is exhibited.

 (2) 
Vehicular traffic facing a green arrow signal, shown alone or in combination 
with another indication, may cautiously enter the intersection only to make the 
movement indicated by such arrow or such other movement as is permitted by 
other indications shown at the same time. Such vehicular traffic shall yield 
the right-of-way to pedestrians lawfully within an adjacent crosswalk and to 
other traffic lawfully using the intersection.

 (3) 
Unless otherwise directed by a pedestrian-control signal, as provided in 
Section 56-5-990, pedestrians facing any green signal, except when the sole 
green signal is a turn arrow, may proceed across the roadway within any marked 
or unmarked crosswalk.

 (B) 
Steady yellow indication:

 (1) 
Vehicular traffic facing a steady circular yellow or yellow arrow signal is 
thereby warned that the related green movement is being terminated or that a 
red indication will be exhibited immediately thereafter.

 (2) 
Pedestrians facing a steady circular yellow or yellow arrow signal, unless 
otherwise directed by a pedestrian-control signal as provided in Section 
56-5-990, are advised that there is insufficient time to cross the roadway 
before a red indication is shown and no pedestrian shall then start to cross 
the roadway.

 (C) 
Steady red indication:

 (1) 
Vehicular traffic facing a steady circular red signal alone shall stop at a 
clearly marked stop line but, if none, before entering the crosswalk on the 
near side of the intersec