Give Me 3

byMichelle1137

179 followers

Updated 10 years ago

I wrote this article a couple days ago.

This is truly the case of where the “squeaky wheel gets the grease.” On September 16, a new law will come into effect which requires automobile drivers to give bicyclists a three foot clearance on the road. “Give Me 3” was the term adopted by the California Bicyclists Coalition. The official title is Assembly Bill 1371 which was originated in the City of Los Angeles because of the numerous difficulties bicyclists were having traversing the roads as well as the countless number of bicycle-related accidents and fatalities that have occurred. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, The estimated number of bicyclist injuries, in 2012, was 49,000, nationwide. An estimated one-third of cyclist-related injuries are due to being hit by a car.

Assemblyman Steven Bradford, from Gardena, authored this bill which is now labeled the “Three Feet for Safety Act.” The City of Los Angeles started the “Give Me 3” campaign in 2010. When the bill was initially submitted, Governor Brown vetoed it due to concerns generated from Cal Trans and the California Highway Patrol. After submitting the bill in 2011 and in 2012. a huge breakthrough was made in 2014. Governor Brown finally agreed to sign the bill.

Currently, the law states that drivers should maintain a safe distance when passing bicyclists on the road. The language in the new law says that drivers, who are passing cyclists from behind, need to keep their vehicles at a three feet distance. If traffic and road conditions prevent the driver from giving the bicyclist a 3 feet clearance, drivers are required to slow down to a speed that is “reasonable and prudent,” and only pass when the cyclist is out of harm's way. Drivers who violate this law will be fined up to $154, and, if the cyclist is injured, the motorist will be fined $220.

Defining the distance between drivers and bicyclists is encouraging, and hopefully the fines imposed will deter drivers from doing the tango with bicyclists. In this writer's humble opinion, the fines should have been significantly more than what the new law dictates. Also,there should have been a defined speed limit for drivers who pass bicyclists on roads that do not allow for a three feet clearance.

This article was submitted by Michelle Mason on behalf of Dynamic Electric Vehicles in San Luis Obispo, California.