Governor Henry McMaster has officially signed S.812, the Stop As Yield bill, into law.

South Carolina is now the first state on the East Coast to fully adopt this kind of bicycle safety legislation, and the 14th state overall to pass some form of Stop As Yield law.

We’re calling it the Palmetto Stop!

What Does The New Law Do?

Under the new law, people on bikes in South Carolina can:

• Treat stop signs as yield signs when safe to do so
• Come to a full stop at red lights, then proceed when safe

People on bikes must still yield to anyone with the right of way. Riding recklessly or blowing through intersections remains illegal and dangerous.

While Delaware & Washington DC have a limited version of stop-as-yield (stop signs only), South Carolina is the first East Coast state to fully adopt both stop-as-yield at stop signs and stop-then-proceed at red lights.

Why Does This Matter?

Most crashes involving people on bikes happen at intersections. Reducing time spent waiting in those conflict zones matters.

This law reflects how people naturally ride bikes, improves predictability for all road users, and modernizes South Carolina law in a practical, low cost way.

Research from USDOT and NHTSA has shown safety benefits associated with these kinds of laws, and similar policies already exist in states like Idaho, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Utah, and others.

For many South Carolinians, this law will simply formalize how people already safely and naturally navigate intersections on a bicycle every day.

Overwhelming Bipartisan Support

One of the most encouraging parts of this effort was the broad support this legislation received across South Carolina.

S.812 passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in both the South Carolina House and Senate, showing that practical safety improvements can still bring people together.

We want to sincerely thank the many advocates, organizations, lawmakers, and everyday South Carolinians who helped make this happen.

Special thanks to Senator Luke Rankin for introducing the legislation, Senator Overture Walker for cosponsoring, Senator Ed Sutton for speaking in support in the Senate, Rep. Tom Hartnett for his leadership on the EPW Motor Vehicles Subcommittee, Rep. Shannon Erickson for her support on the Education and Public Works Committee, Rep. Micah Caskey, and Governor Henry McMaster for signing the bill into law.

What Comes Next?

As this law goes into effect, education and awareness will matter. We hope to begin these conversations in the coming weeks & months with our friends at SCDPS, SCDOT, local governments, other advocacy orgs, etc.

We encourage all to begin thinking about signage, public education, and outreach around this update to state law so implementation is clear and successful.

This is also an opportunity to continue broader conversations around safer streets, intersection design, visibility, and creating transportation systems that work better for everyone.

A safer South Carolina is possible for all road users.

Thank you to everyone who spoke up, showed up, and helped make this happen.

The Palmetto Stop is officially here.

Ride safe, y’all.