PA Senate to Vote on Safe Passing Legislation

House Bill 170, the Safe Bicycle Passing Bill, was passed by the PA House of Representatives on May 23, 2011, with overwelming support. Now it is up to the Senate to take action for safer streets. Ask your senator if they will support this important bill.

This bill would take the prinicple of "Share the Road" and make it an official part of the Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Code through two important changes. The bill will:

• Require motor vehicles to pass bicyclists with a minimum of 4 feet
• Protect bicyclists from a “right hook” or “left hook,” where a motorist makes an improper turn into the bicyclist’s direction of travel

Motorists misjudging the space needed to pass a bicyclist, and motorists turning into the path of a bicyclist are two common causes of bicycle crashes, accounting for 12% of the total vehicle-bicycle crashes.

To date, at least 18 other states have passed similar safe passing bills, and several more states are currently considering these bills.

Posted in: biking,policy,Shayne Trimbell