CALIFORNIA BICYCLE NEWS AND CYCLING SAFETY TIPS BLOG

After almost losing his life to a cycling accident last summer, a San Diego man has made a public statement thanking the YMCA for helping aide in his recovery. Juan Vinolo was riding with a group of 20 people when a driver under the influence of methamphetamine and alcohol rounded a blind corner, hitting Carlos and critically injuring him. The aftermath of the accident was a grisly scene, leaving Juan with a punctured lung, a lost kidney, dislocated shoulder and broken ribs. Worst of all, the accident paralyzed Juan from the chest down. According to police, the impaired driver of the car that hit Juan also hit 10 other cyclists. After hitting the group, she exited her car and started behaving erratically. She was taken to the hospital when police found a bag of methamphetamine. Several hearings have been delayed until the mental competency of the woman can be assessed….
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Cyclists are always in danger from negligent drivers. In response to the threat, California lawmakers passed a bill requiring drivers to give them at least three feet of room. Passage of the bill made California the 24th state to enact a three-foot passing law. California’s three-foot law was certainly needed, as 150 cyclists died in 2012 from car collisions. How Does the Three Feet for Safety Act Work? In addition to providing room to cyclists, if traffic is too dense to give cyclists a safe distance of three feet, drivers must slow down to a reasonable speed to wait until passing the cyclist is safe. Vehicles that do not give three feet of room or slow down to wait before passing a bicycle can be fined $35. The fine increases to $220 if a vehicle hits a cyclist and the driver is found to be in violation of the law….
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