"Give Me 3" Bill Could Drop Thousands Of Auto vs. Bike Accidents Each Year

On May 18, I hope you will join me in celebrating Bike To Work Day 2012, part of the broader National Bike Month celebrations held each May.

I am proud that many of the communities I represent are so bike friendly. In fact, Long Beach is at the forefront in our region of creating urban cycling opportunities.

Riding a bike to work saves money, especially for those that live within relatively short distances from their work place. Biking saves the costs of gas, forestalls maintenance on a car and less usage results in lower mileage which increases the long-term value of a car.

Riding a bike instead of driving also lowers a person's carbon footprint. It only requires a person to ride 400 miles instead of driving to offset the carbon footprint of manufacturing a typical bicycle. After that, each miles ridden instead of driven lowers a person's overall carbon footprint.

Cycling is also one of the easiest types of exercise. It is low impact, builds muscle and stamina, and is proven to reduce stress. It is also good for your heart. A study by the British Medical Association found that workers who cycled to work regularly, reduced their risk of coronary heart disease by 50 percent.

However, one concern for many who cycle, especially in our urban environment, is that cyclists have to share the roads with automobiles.

Last year, more than 3,000 cyclists were hit by cars in California. In almost all of these incidents, the cyclist was injured. More than 100 were killed.

The increase in bike ridership, especially in our urban areas where more and more people are cycling to work during heavy traffic periods, is likely to increase the number of car versus bike incidents without some safeguards.

This is why I authored SB1464, known by many as the 'Give Me 3' bill.
 
SB1464 would require drivers to give a minimum of three feet clearance when passing a cyclist on the road.

Last year, the bill passed both houses of the Legislature, but was vetoed by the Gov. Jerry Brown. I have worked with the Governor to change some language in the bill, and he has said he will sign the reintroduced version if it reaches his desk.

I am confident that it will.

But passing the bill is only part of the job. We must also educate drivers about the three-foot rule. I plan to work with the biking community, who have been unanimously supportive of SB1464, to spread this message, both before and after the passage of SB1464.

If you are a cyclist, it is important that you understand and abide by the proper rules of the road, such as stopping at lights and keeping as far right as possible. Ultimately, though, I hope SB1464 will help ease some of your concerns and with the proper education of the driving public, make cycling that much more safer and enjoyable.

If you are a driver, keep in mind that the power to make this work is literally in your hands. When you are out on the road, please remember to "Give Me 3."