Today Gov. Brown signed Assembly Bill 1371, this year's 3-foot passing bill!
The bill requires drivers to give bike-riders at least 3 feet of clearance when passing them from behind under most circumstances.
Gov. Brown vetoed earlier versions of this bill passed by the Legislature in 2011 and 2012.
According to Assemblymember Steven Bradford's office, the unusual Sept. 16, 2014 effective date was requested by the DMV to give them time to complete some federally mandated data system updates. Implementation of other legislation was also affected by these updates -- it doesn't appear to be specific to the 3-foot passing bill.
About the $35 and $202 fines contained in the bill: These are "base fines" set by state law. A complicated formula is applied to each base fine to calculate additional fees used to fund the local court system. What drivers will pay is $154 and $960. A driver who killed a bike-rider by deliberately passing unsafely could also be subject to vehicular manslaughter charges, for which penalties are huge.
The bill requires drivers to give bike-riders at least 3 feet of clearance when passing them from behind under most circumstances.
Gov. Brown vetoed earlier versions of this bill passed by the Legislature in 2011 and 2012.
According to Assemblymember Steven Bradford's office, the unusual Sept. 16, 2014 effective date was requested by the DMV to give them time to complete some federally mandated data system updates. Implementation of other legislation was also affected by these updates -- it doesn't appear to be specific to the 3-foot passing bill.
About the $35 and $202 fines contained in the bill: These are "base fines" set by state law. A complicated formula is applied to each base fine to calculate additional fees used to fund the local court system. What drivers will pay is $154 and $960. A driver who killed a bike-rider by deliberately passing unsafely could also be subject to vehicular manslaughter charges, for which penalties are huge.