Safe Passing Act passes House

Would set passing distances

Steve Hawley, May 13, 09.

UPDATE (5/19/09, 2:01 pm): The Safe Passing Act passed the House on Tuesday.

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The Safe Passing Act (Senate Bill 488), which would set minimum passing distances for motorists when passing vulnerable road users such as bicyclists and pedestrians, has passed the House Transportation Committee, as noted by Charles Kuffner in Off the Kuff.

The full House must vote on the bill by the end of the legislative session in about three weeks, “but given that it’s come this far and doesn’t seem to be particularly controversial,” Kuffner expects the bill stands a good chance of passage.

A Houston Chronicle story cited by Kuffner reports that 50 Texas bicyclists were killed in accidents last year and another 274 suffered incapacitating injuries.

The article notes:

Of the roughly Texas 50 cyclists killed each year, 40 percent involve accidents caused by motorists who didn’t pass safely, said Stallings, of BikeTexas, whose bicycle coalition focuses on increasing awareness and interest in bicycle access, safety and education.

“More people are cycling all the time. We want to make sure that crashes and fatalities don’t go up with that increased cycling,” Stallings said. “The best way to do that is to begin to educate at the earliest levels.”

“Everyone that I know who walks, runs, rides, has a moped or an electrified bicycle has had just harrowing stories to tell,” said one bicyclist.

The Senate approved the legislation in April. While the law, if passed, would be hard to enforce, it would provide penalties in case of accidents, including fines of up to $2,000 and jail time of up to 180 days in the event of an accident resulting in bodily harm.

The Safe Passing Act would also apply to stranded motorists, construction workers, motorcyclists, farm equipment operators, and riders on horseback, among others.