CALIFORNIA BICYCLE NEWS AND CYCLING SAFETY TIPS BLOG

On September 16, a new law goes into effect requiring drivers to leave three feet of buffer space when passing a cyclist. California’s current passing law states that drivers must leave a “safe distance,” but it does not specify how far. Cycling enthusiasts hope the new law will help protect bicyclists from aggressive drivers, who kill dozens of cyclists every year. Many of the supporters are family members who have lost loved ones in cycling accidents, like a Chula Vista couple whose son was killed on August 8. California Governor Jerry Brown vetoed similar laws in 2011 and 2012, arguing that certain provisions could have been dangerous. Certain drafts of the bill would have allowed drivers to cross a double yellow line to pass a cyclist, or required them to slow down to 15 mph when passing within three feet. Brown argued that these conditions could lead to more accidents…
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Several members of the San Diego Bicycle Club were seriously injured after a wrong-way driver collided with a group of cyclists on Fiesta Island. On Tuesday, August 12, the club was finishing their weekly ride when a car traveling against traffic plowed into the group head-on. The impact injured at least 10 cyclists and left one rider paralyzed. A 49-year-old father of two was riding close to the front of the group when he saw the car heading their way. He managed to push at least one cyclist out of the way but suffered critical injuries in the process. The La Jolla father was the most seriously injured of all the cyclists, suffering two punctured lungs, the loss of one kidney, a lacerated spleen and six broken vertebras. Doctors at UCSD Hillcrest Hospital are focusing on healing the man’s lungs so he can undergo spinal surgery, but they believe the…
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