Evan MacKenzie wrote:
> From a story in the Sacramento Bee: (You must register with the Bee in
> order to view the entire article.)
>
> *The tragic death of a tri-athlete student while bicycling in southern
> California has sparked a bill to create a three-foot buffer for any
> vehicle passing a cyclist but will it create more problems than it
> attempts to solve?*
>
> "Current California law does not specify a minimum clearance but says
> motorists must pass to the left at a 'safe distance without
> interfering with the safe operation' of a bicycle."
>
> "Violators would be subject to base fines of $250, rising to about
> $875 once local fees are tacked on. Motorists could be charged
> criminally if a bicyclist were killed or seriously injured."
>
> "Statewide, bicycle collisions killed an average of 123 people and
> injured 11,101 annually from 2000 to 2005, according to the California
> Highway Patrol, which does not keep tabs on how many crashes stemmed
> from an unsafe pass."
>
> "Opponents argue AB 60 would create unintended consequences in a state
> stretching hundreds of miles, with roads generally 11 or 12 feet wide,
> not counting shoulders or parking slots."
>
> Link to actual bill:
>
> http://leginfo.ca.gov/pub/07-08/bill/asm/ab_0051-0100/ab_60_bill_20061204_introduced.html
>
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My opinion is:
You cant legislate defensive driving skills...
With the loss of 'drivers education' from many school districts
(Washington is a prime example), student
drivers are now forced to get their driver's education through such
magnificent entities as 'Sears Driving
School', or Acme Driving Academy. With the goal being to shuttle as many
students through the doors
as possible, regardless of what they learn and how well they can apply
the rules and courtesies of the
road to vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, etc.
The drivers ed courses I took were from state certified drivers ed
teachers who were also teachers at the
school district itself. They had a vested interest in seeing their
students succeed and do well. That meant
they taught such things as being aware of not just motor vehicles and
pedestrains, but also farm vehicles,
motorcycles, bicycles, livestock.
The California Assembly can legislate as wide a buffer zone as they
want, but if students ARE NOT TAUGHT
the rules of the road and who is allowed to use the road, then this is
just another piece of meaningless
legislation. Regardless of how well intentioned it may be.
Joe