A bicyclist, motorcyclist and motorists all share a road in Myrtle Beach.
A bicycle costs thousands of dollars less than a car, but they both share the same laws and roads.
Aaron Johnston rides his bike daily, whether to the store for a quick coffee or a four hour bike ride from his Cyclopedia store in Pawleys Island to Myrtle Beach's Ocean Boulevard and back.
"People sometimes view us as the menace of the road," says Johnston, "but bicycles are indeed vehicles."
South Carolina Department of Transportation laws view bicyclists, motorcyclists, and motorists as one in the same. So when drivers think bikes don't belong on the road, they're wrong.
Laws even force cyclists off the sidewalk and into the road. The sidewalk is reserved for pedestrians only...bikes not included.
"Very simply bicyclists have to abide by the same laws as a vehicle would," says Myrtle Beach Police Captain David Knipes. "They have to go with the flow of traffic, abide by traffic signals and obey all traffic laws."
Thursday, a cyclist failed to abide by those laws and 18-year-old Anastasi Teslia, who he was carrying on the bike, died.
"The two were traveling against traffic and ran the stop light," says Knipes.
Johnston believes accidents like this happen too often because most of the people who ride bikes are novice cyclists and don't know the laws.
"The problem is there are a lot of rules and regulations, but they're not presented to the public," says Johnston. "Kids just get on bikes and go. Runners tend to run against traffic because that's when they feel most safe seeing what's in front of them. But when they get on a bike, they tend to do the same thing and you can't."
Johnston says cyclists need to be as predictable to drivers as possible. "Any cyclist realizes they are the ones who never win. When cars are driving they are predicting traffic coming from a certain point. If you're jolting out of no where not abiding by the law, they don't expect it."
He says people who usually come to Myrtle Beach aren't looking for cyclists, because their minds are filled with other situations (vacations, beaches, restaurants). "Bikes need to put a lot of safety into their turns. You are a vehicle, and you do have rights. But if you're not stopping at the red lights or expecting that car to cut you off, you're being foolish."
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