3.4 Motorist Passing Bicyclist Laws

The purpose of bicyclist passing laws is to require motor vehicle drivers to leave at least a legally defined amount of clearance space between the vehicle and the cyclist when overtaking the cyclist. This helps to minimize the likelihood of a sideswipe, and to reduce the chance of a close encounter that could potentially destabilize or divert the course of a cyclist and cause a crash.

Effectiveness Concerns: Although there is some research examining the effectiveness of this countermeasure, there is insufficient evidence to conclude that the countermeasure yields consistent benefits.

Further information about the known research, potential effectiveness, costs, use, and time to implement is available in Appendix A9, Section 3.4.

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