CALIFORNIA BICYCLE NEWS AND CYCLING SAFETY TIPS BLOG

A September 1 Mission Bay Park bicycle accident claimed the life of a 20-year-old woman, according to XETV San Diego 6. The accident occurred at 3:30 a.m. in the 2500 block of Ingraham Street on Vacation Island. The woman was riding her bicycle on Ingraham when the driver of a sedan struck her. Despite attempting to avoid hitting her, the driver of the sedan did not see the cyclist in time to avert a collision. “A 20-year-old female cyclist was southbound in the middle of a traffic lane when the driver of a sedan swerved when he saw her, but not in time, and struck her,” San Diego Police Sgt. R. Rose told ABC 10 News. “The woman sustained major, life-threatening injuries and was admitted to a local hospital.” The cyclist succumbed to her injuries later that day at about 2:05 p.m. The woman’s identity was determined post mortem by…
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On September 23, California’s governor signed legislation requiring drivers to stay at least three feet away when passing cyclists, according to U-T San Diego. The current law only requires that a driver keep an unspecified safe distance when passing a bicyclist. This new law requiring the three-foot buffer is set to go into effect on September 16, 2014. This new law stemmed from a proposal by Assemblyman Steven Bradford, D-Gardena, as a way to better protect bicyclists from aggressive motorists. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa sponsored Bradford’s bill. Villaraigosa, an avid cyclist, was involved in a 2010 bicycle accident when a taxi driver abruptly pulled in front of him. Other groups that supported the bill included several cycling organizations, such as the California Association of Bicycling Organizations. The governor had vetoed two previous incarnations of this bill in 2011 and 2012, citing provisions in the bills that could both cause…
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