I’m writing in response to Tim Jones’s piece about bike safety (Monitor Sports, June 11). He writes about how some vehicles found themselves in a “squeeze play . . . forcing them uncomfortably close” to bicyclists. He goes on, “I want to make it clear here that no one was doing anything wrong.”
I disagree. Motor vehicle drivers have a legal duty of care. A driver should only attempt to overtake a bicyclist where it is safe to do so. Moreover, the duty of care motor vehicles must afford bicyclists involve providing the cyclist with at least 3 feet of room when your vehicle is traveling less than 30 mph and another foot of room for each additional 10 mph in speed, e.g. traveling between 40 and 49 mph requires 5 feet.
Hill crests are blind spots. A driver wouldn’t (shouldn’t) attempt to overtake a mail truck delivering mail on a hill if he can’t see whether there is oncoming traffic. Similarly, a driver legally shouldn’t attempt to overtake a bicyclist if they can’t see whether there is oncoming traffic that prevents them from safely doing so. The driver has a legal obligation to ensure that the coast is clear before attempting to overtake the bicyclist.
The vehicles in this scenario attempted to overtake bicyclists without ascertaining that it was safe to do so. These drivers not only did something wrong, but in my opinion also did something illegal.
DAVID SKY
Concord