CT Law on Sharing The Road With Cyclists on Bikes
by Ryan McKeen
Why the search engine friendly title for this post? Because I want people to read it!
Yesterday, I was driving through Hartford. I pulled up to a light. I was behind a bus. Something caught my eye. The ad on the back of the bus wasn’t for a personal injury lawyer. I went into a brief state of shock. When I came to my senses, I saw this ad on the back of the bus:
Injured? Call the law offices of.....
The ad encouraged me to go to www.sharetheroadct.org (a website operated by the state department of transportation.)
Being that I’m easily influenced and always in search of material for the blog, when I got back to the office I did just that.
On the site I found Connecticut’s 3 feet passing law:
Public Act 08-101, effective October 1, 2008, requires Connecticut motorists to allow at least three feet of separation when overtaking and passing cyclists. Failure to do so could cause motorists to receive a fine. Because of the large disparities in size, weight and speed between bicycles and motor vehicles, cyclists are at a tremendous disadvantage in the result of a collision with a car or truck. This new law strives to increase motorist awareness of bicycles, and to make conditions safer by preventing collisions.
So the next time you see a cyclist on the road make sure to give at least 3 feet while passing. That’s the law.
