• 20
  • January
    2012

Today, more and more people are getting physically fit by riding their bicycles, but Pennsylvania drivers could soon find themselves getting a traffic violation for passing too close to a cyclist.

This proposed legislation would make it illegal to pass a cyclist unless there is at least four feet of space between the vehicle and the cyclist. Pennsylvania is joining 19 other states in proposing a safe passing standard.

The proposed safe passing law would:

  • Require at least a four foot clearance between the vehicle and cyclist.
  • It would allow a vehicle to cross the double yellow line on a two-lane road, to provide the four-foot clearance when passing a cyclist.
  • Make it illegal to cross the center line onto oncoming traffic to allow for the clearance. Instead, the driver would need to wait until the traffic clears before crossing the center line.
  • It would be illegal to make a right turn into the path of a cyclist.
  • A cyclist would be able to go less than the posted minimum speed and not be cited for slowing down traffic. The cyclist would not have to move off the road to allow traffic to pass.
  • If a vehicle is traveling on a narrow road, the vehicle would need to wait until there is enough room to pass.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, crashes involving bicycles and vehicles increased to 1,485 crashes in 2010, compared to 1,401 in 2009. With this new legislation, education efforts would need to be communicated to all drivers. Reckless or careless driving in Pennsylvania could cause a driver to face severe penalties including fines, jail time, an increase in car insurance premiums and the loss of your license.

Violations for this type of traffic offense would typically be a fine of $35 with court costs. Overall, the goal in implementing this legislation is to decrease the amount of accidents between vehicles and cyclists.

The state House passed the proposal in 2011, and the legislation is now awaiting approval from the Senate.

Source: The Patriot-News, "Pennsylvania may soon join other states with 'safe passing' laws to protect bicyclists," Dan Miller, Jan. 18, 2012