Comments on: Friday Film Fun: Strict Liability

By: Toni

Toni — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 05:06:31 +0000

“I think of it as similar to the tolerance we used to have for drunk drivers.”

Well said, Elliot. I hope with hard work and education, we can effect a similar change in attitudes.

By: Doug

Doug — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:01:31 +0000

I didn’t claim it was a scientific study, it’s just my experience. And even if my experience (or passing distances in general) were somehow scientifically documented and proven, that still wouldn’t prove that it was the new law that made the difference.

As for your comments about bike lanes, well, if you’re in the bike lane, they can legally pass you at any distance they like, as long as they stay out of the bike lane. But even when I’m in a bike lane, I’ll often see drivers changing lanes to get even further from me, even though the law doesn’t require this. I saw it before, but it happens even more now it seems. (Perhaps I smell bad?)

But the change really sticks out when I’m taking the lane on two lane roads. Rather than passing me by straddling the center line, drivers seem to more often go to the other side of the road to pass.

As for drivers turning right on red, pulling out in front of you, pulling into bike boxes, etc. — again, the new law doesn’t cover that, so I really wouldn’t expect much of a change there. The new law *does* cover them buzzing you, but it’s permitted if the truck and you are in different lanes (yes, it’s a flaw in the law.) If it really bothers you, you should make notes of plate numbers and other details and report them to the police (they’ll probably take a report, though I doubt they’ll do more) and UPS.

By: Mark Muller

Mark Muller — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 20:30:56 +0000

I will see your anecdote and raise you one more. I haven’t noticed any difference in the amount of space drivers give me when passing. Especially not UPS trucks, which seem to buzz me every single time. And turn right on red when there is a sign prohibiting it. And pull out in front of me. And pull into the bike boxes on Speedway. I hate UPS trucks, but maybe I just get to experience the same driver again and again.

In my experience, cars give me more space when passing on decent roads without bike lanes (like say Grover) than on decent roads with bike lanes (like say North Loop).

To know whether the law made a difference, you would have to have someone study passing distances before and after in some kind of organized way. I doubt anyone has done so, and we can’t go back in time now to gather the before data.

By: Doug

Doug — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:46:26 +0000

“Sudden outbreak of courteous driving”? The law didn’t mandate courteous driving. It mandated a minimum passing distance of either 3′ or being in a different lane, and made a few things illegal that were already illegal.

And perhaps it’s just me, but I’ve definitely noticed drivers giving me more space when they pass. Perhaps few have passed at less than 3′, but only a few, and certainly far fewer than before. And a lot more people are giving way more than 3′ than did before.

Tickets or not, the law seems to have made a difference.