Law regarding bicycles on road takes effect

A new Ohio law requires drivers to allow at least 3 feet of space when passing bicyclists on the road, though some cyclists say it’s tough to enforce and not a strong enough deterrent to cars zipping past too closely.

In December, the Ohio Senate approved House Bill 154, which requires the operator of a motor vehicle passing a bicycle to pass at a distance of three feet or more.

The law does not state how the distance is measured but, generally it would be from the left side of the cyclist’s body to the right side of the passing vehicle, or any part of it, such as mirrors that protrude out the right or wheels on trailers that are wider than the vehicle itself.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found 726 bicyclists deaths in 2014 accounted for two percent of all traffic fatalities that year.

Ohio is the 28th state to have a three-foot passing requirement.