New MA Road Safety Law Creates 'Safe Passing Distance' Rule

BOSTON, MA — A new road safety law signed this week by Gov. Charlie Baker will bring Massachusetts in line with other states in improving conditions for pedestrians, bicyclists and road workers, safety advocates say.

The new law includes several road safety updates, including a new definition of "safe passing distance." The law requires drivers to give vulnerable road users — essentially anyone on or near a road and not driving a vehicle — 4 feet of space while passing "at a reasonable and proper speed." The law allows drivers to use the opposing lane to meet the 4-foot requirement, if the lane is clear, according to the law.

The Massachusetts safe-passing provision is the first time the state has set a distance for safe passing between drivers and vulnerable road users — and it's slightly better than other states, according to the League of American Bicyclists. Only Pennsylvania also requires 4 feet, while more than half of states require a 3-foot minimum.

The state Legislature has been debating the new law — called "An Act to Reduce Traffic Fatalities" — for about a decade. Lawmakers sent the bill to Baker in the fall, but he returned it seeking amendments. He signed the law on Monday as one of his last acts as governor.

"This bill will support not only the safety of people walking and biking, but also the safety of people in wheelchairs, construction workers on their job sites, tow truck drivers and first responders stopped on the side of the road, and anyone out on our public ways without the protection of steel, seatbelts, and airbags," the group MassBike said Monday in response to the law being signed.

Apart from the safe passing distance, the law includes:

• An update to existing state law to allow city and town boards to more easily reduce speed limits or restrict vehicles on both municipal roads and state roads
• Requires certain size trucks owned by the state or used by state contractors to have backup cameras, larger mirrors and side guards
• Deems that bicyclists must have a red light on the rear of their bike while riding at night
• Requires MassDOT and other agencies within one year create a standard form for reporting collisions between vulnerable road users and drivers

“With more of our residents utilizing cleaner forms of mobility such as traditional and electric bicycles, these bills make necessary changes to better protect all users of our public ways,” state Rep. William Straus (D-Mattapoisett) and chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation said.