Not to belabor the issue of laws that require motorists to give bicycle riders 3 feet when passing, but there's always the question of enforcement once the law is passed.
Here's a story passed along to me from Utah about a cyclist who took matters into his own hands after a passenger in a close-passing pickup swiped him with his hand.
Startled, Jason Bultman still had the presence of mind to copy down the license plate. Police followed up and the Salt Lake City prosecutor's office filed charges in February, making the first prosecution of the 3-foot passing law enacted two years earlier.
If successful, it might empower many other harassed bicyclists to file reports with police.
Advocate
Bultman knows his rights; he's president of the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective. He told the Salt Lake City Tribune:
“It's kind of interesting that you can actually prosecute someone for violating the 3-foot law. [People] were saying it's unenforceable.”
The law was passed after the 2004 death of grad student Josie Johnson after she was struck by a passing SUV on a winding canyon road. The Utah law reads, in part:
“An operator of a motor vehicle may not knowingly, intentionally, or recklessly operate a motor vehicle within three feet of a moving bicycle, unless the operator of the motor vehicle operates the motor vehicle within a reasonable and safe distance of the bicycle.”
Summons
Bultman told the newspaper that he had the opportunity to charge the passenger with assault, but figured it was more important to charge the driver who had swerved too close to him. Violations are a misdemeanor, and guilty verdict could result in a $750 fine and 90 day in jail maximum.
Although the city prosecutor filed the charges, the 46-year-old driver of the pickup could not be found to serve a summons, but they'll try again.
Yield to Life
Salt Lake City is loaded with bike advocates, partly after the biking community was galvanized by Johnson's death and the efforts to get a 3-foot law passed.
Another high-profile Salt Lake City bike advocate is US time trial champion David Zabriskie. The Slipstream-Chipotle cyclist has created Yield to Life to make the roads safer for bicycling. According to the website:
“Yield to Life is a non-profit organization devoted to creating a safer environment for cyclists and, by so doing, encouraging more people to ride for their own health, the good of the environment and the well being of society.”
Let's wish Bultman and Zabriskie good luck in their pursuit to making the roads safer.
Thanks to Dan for the tip
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