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Starting Tuesday, California Law Requires Drivers To Give Cyclists 3 Feet Of Space On Road

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A new law is about the change the way California drivers maneuver around bicyclists.

The 3 feet law begins at midnight, and is designed to cut down on deadly crashes involving cars and bikes But how will it be enforced?

A bicyclist cruises by while a driver gives it some gas. Put the two together, and you have the newest law to hit California's roads.

Starting Tuesday, drivers must allow a distance of three feet when passing a bicyclist. The California Highway Patrol says the easiest way to figure out how long that is would be imagining your legs sticking out of the window. If you're close enough to kick a cyclist, then you're too close.

Now if the road is too narrow and there isn't a three-foot cushion, the CHP says drivers will have to slow down and pass when it is considered safe.

And other factors come into play.

"They have to take into consideration the width of their vehicle, the roadway conditions, the weather conditions..the size of the bicycle as well," said CHP officer Chad Hertzell.

But even though this is a law for drivers, cyclists aren't getting a free ride.

"It's not just the bicyclist having carte blanche with this law," he said. "They do have to hug the shoulder and ride safely."

That also means making sure they're riding with traffic and not against it.

Becky Garrow with the Sacramento Bicycle Advocates Group will tell you the new law is all about saving lives.

"According to the League of American Bicyclists, approximately 40 percent of cyclist fatalities were rear-end collisions," she said.

Statewide, bicycle fatalities are up more than 25 percent since 2011.

For a first offense, it would cost drivers $35. If a collision occurs, that jumps to $220.

The goal is to avoid crashes and get those who share the same road on the same page when it comes to safety.

"We're excited about this law because it gives drivers better information on how to safely pass cyclists," Garrow said.

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