Bill to Give Bike Space on Road to Curb Bicycle Accidents Gets Nod

A new bill to give bicyclists space on the road to prevent further bicycle accidents was recently approved in the State of California.

The bill called SB 1464 is said to require drivers to give bicyclists 3 feet of space particularly when they are passing from behind, according to John Casey, chief of staff for Senator Alan Lowenthal.

According to Lowenthal’s district website, the bill aims to remove ambiguity in the present state law about a “motorist safely overtaking and passing a bicycle.”

Last year, a similar bill was likewise applied and voted on. However, upon its approval, it was vetoed by California governor Jerry Brown due to its speed limit requirement.

Consequently, supporters of the previous bill now removed the speed limit and then introduced the modified one which is currently awaiting Governor Brown’s approval.

Casey further claimed that he and the other advocates of the bill are quite confident that the bill would now be passed into law due to the removal of the controversial speed limit.

Furthermore, the bill is eyed to finally ease the mind of students who commute using their bicycles every day to get to school. Nevertheless, bicyclists should always stay alert since there are other vehicle drivers who do not pay attention when they are on the road.

Other than that, safety is considered as the bill’s most important value among others since it can obviously save lives. Based on last year’s statistics gathered by the California Highway Patrol, more than 3,000 road accidents involving bicyclists and vehicles were reported. In fact, 50 percent of the bicycle accidents occurred as a result of another vehicle hitting a bicycle from behind, according to the communication director for the CBC, Jim Brown.

Incidentally, Gov. Jerry Brown has until the end of this month to decide on the bill. Incidentally, several Los Angeles lawyers here likewise hope for the approval of the said bill. For them, anything that will promote safety is a pretty good concept.