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Date: Wednesday, 16 November 2005

Title: Law boosts bike safety

Source: Tristan Baurick

Remarks: http://www.bainbridgereview.com

If flashing red lights and yellow rain coats weren’t enough, now there’s a new state law drawing drivers’ attention to bicycle safety. “This is great,” said Squeaky Wheels bike advocacy group president Dana Berg. “It’s one more way to make vehicle drivers more aware of the safety implications around bikes and the danger of their cars.” The recently passed law makes it illegal to pass another vehicle when a bicyclist or pedestrian is approaching from the oncoming lane. It also requires, for the first time, that motorists pass walkers and bikers from a “safe distance.” The law was initiated after a deadly crash in Walla Walla last year. Eight bicyclists were riding in a single file on Highway 124 when a car passing a cattle truck struck and killed one of the cyclists, 50-year old teacher Ann Weatherill. “This new law is just plain good sense,” said Bainbridge Police traffic officer Rob Corn. “It gives us more power to issue citations and make arrests. No law covered this before. But now it’s in the books.” Berg believes the law would have meant stiffer penalties to the motorist who hit island cyclist Chris Stanley from behind last year on Highway 305. Stanley, an art teacher, was critically injured and the driver was cited for driving inattentively and on the shoulder. This new law could add infractions for driving “at an unsafe distance” to the list, she said. Corn said similar incidents are common on Bainbridge Island. He said a bicyclist was recently struck and injured by a passing motorist on Ferncliff Avenue. “This law fits that to a tee,” he said. “The bicyclist wasn’t given clearance and was clipped at the handlebar. We could cite (the motorist) for being inattentive. But this adds an enhancement and makes things more specific.” Still, Corn looks forward to a possible amendment to the new rule. “Passing at a ‘safe distance’ is in the eye of the beholder,” he said. “I’d love to see (the law) set a specific number of feet that is appropriate.”