New Cycling Law - 3' Rule in Effect
In early May 2007 a new law went into affect in Tennessee benefiting all bicyclists. The Jeff Roth and Brian Brown Bicycle Protection Act of 2007 ensures that all vehicles must provide bicyclists a minimum of 3 feet as they pass by and overtake a bicyclist. Vehicles driving past a bicyclist within 3 feet are in violation of this law, which is a Class C misdemeanor.
Bill information for Senate Bill 1699
To see Amendment No. 1 to Senate Bill 1699 go HERE
Visit Tennessee3Feet.org, a website devoted to spreading the word about this new law in honor of Jeff Roth and Brian Brown. Both men were tragically killed by a vehicle while riding their bikes, Roth in Knoxville and Brown in Martin. Tennessee3Feet.org has done a great job putting together information about the law and other advocacy materials for bicycling clubs to help promote safety.
There has been a little bit of news coverage so far about the law, but honestly, not near enough (NC.com included). The only way for cyclists to take advantage of the law and gain respect on the road will be for more Tennesseans to learn about this law. So for those of us on two wheels pass this information along to anyone you know who enjoys riding a bike, and also encourage them to pass it on to their friends and family. That's a good start, but it's not enough for cyclists only to know about it. It's the non-cycling community and 100% of the time vehicle drivers we want to educate more than anyone else.
Of course, cyclists must obey the law and ride safely on the right hand side of the road, follow the rules of the road, be courteous and always have your head up paying attention. It's not always the fault of the vehicle driver, so we cyclists must do our part to ensure the safety of all involved. It's great we now have the 3 foot law, but we still should never put ourselves or our friends in harms way carelessly. After all, it's our own personal safety and well being we should consider first and foremost.
Remember rule number one to any ride, "Return home safely!"
Bill information for Senate Bill 1699
To see Amendment No. 1 to Senate Bill 1699 go HERE
Visit Tennessee3Feet.org, a website devoted to spreading the word about this new law in honor of Jeff Roth and Brian Brown. Both men were tragically killed by a vehicle while riding their bikes, Roth in Knoxville and Brown in Martin. Tennessee3Feet.org has done a great job putting together information about the law and other advocacy materials for bicycling clubs to help promote safety.
There has been a little bit of news coverage so far about the law, but honestly, not near enough (NC.com included). The only way for cyclists to take advantage of the law and gain respect on the road will be for more Tennesseans to learn about this law. So for those of us on two wheels pass this information along to anyone you know who enjoys riding a bike, and also encourage them to pass it on to their friends and family. That's a good start, but it's not enough for cyclists only to know about it. It's the non-cycling community and 100% of the time vehicle drivers we want to educate more than anyone else.
Of course, cyclists must obey the law and ride safely on the right hand side of the road, follow the rules of the road, be courteous and always have your head up paying attention. It's not always the fault of the vehicle driver, so we cyclists must do our part to ensure the safety of all involved. It's great we now have the 3 foot law, but we still should never put ourselves or our friends in harms way carelessly. After all, it's our own personal safety and well being we should consider first and foremost.
Remember rule number one to any ride, "Return home safely!"
posted by NashvilleCyclist.com at 10/25/2007 08:30:00 AM
1 Comments:
Great idea, but I don't see how this could ever be enforced.
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