A law requiring motorists to give 3 feet when passing bicycle riders on Mississippi roads appears headed to passage.
Nearly identical House and Senate bills — entitled the John Paul Frerer Bicycle Safety Act — have passed their respective houses and are headed to the other chambers for action.
Currently, 14 states require a 3-foot gap for bicycle riders. They are Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin.
Five other states, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, South Dakota and Virginia are considering 3-foot laws, and at least two others — Iowa and Washington — have bills in committee that were introduced last year.
Harassment
Following a recent trend in other bicycling legislation, the bills make it a crime to harass, taunt or toss objects at cyclists, reports NEMS360.com. Penalities are $100 for a first offense to $2,500 and jail time for a third offense.
If enacted and signed by the governor, the law would go into effect on July 1.
The House Bill is HB 1487 and the Senate bill is SB3014. Check Mississippi legislature bill status for updates.
Bicycle friendly
While bicycle advocates are pumped up over the progress of these bills in Mississippi, they must still be happy about the state being ranked 24th on the League of American Bicyclists list of bicycle friendly states. The state jumped 23 places from 47th in 2008.
Check “More states consider 3-foot bicycling-passing laws in 2010” to see how the other state are faring.
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