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The Washington Post reported on June 24, 2016 that law enforcement in Ottawa, Canada has adopted new solar technology to help prevent bicycle accidents. The city of Ottawa has a one-meter law. If a vehicle is within one meter of a bicyclist on the road, it is in violation of the law. As with the bicycle laws in the U.S., there has not been a way to enforce this law and protect bicyclists until now.

A device can be mounted to a bicycle’s handlebars, just as a bike bell may be mounted. The device uses sonar technology to measure the distance between bikes and moving vehicles. When a moving vehicle is within the set distance, a beep will sound allowing the rider to report the incident to the police.

Statistics from BikeLeague.org show that 40 percent of fatal crashes are rear-end crashes caused by cars speeding up to overtake a cyclist without maintaining a safe distance.

In the U.S. there are 29 states and the District of Columbia which have passed safe distance laws which require, in most cases, at least a three-foot distance. Ken McLeod of the Bike League, a cyclist advocacy group, affirms that the bike safe distance laws are difficult to enforce and may discourage legislators from passing similar legislation. “This technology directly addresses enforceability, and shows that there is an educational value to the law aside from its enforcement.”

There is a similar technology, reports the Times Free Press, in Chattanooga, TN which is currently being used by law enforcement with more police departments in Texas and Kentucky planning on investigating the technology.

Police officer Robert Simmons, from Chattanooga, TN wanted to give the “3-foot” law for bicyclists some meaning following the death of David Meek, a leader in Chattanooga’s biking community when a truck driver was too close. “That resonated in my head,” says Simmons. “I didn’t act on it. It was just a thought in my head that we have to do something about this.” He then developed BSMART which was engineered by an engineering firm in Austin, TX. BSMART uses the sonar technology to measure the distance between vehicles, and then the measurement is shown on a large digital display for the police.

The Florida Bicycle Association reminds motorists that they must share the road with bicyclists, and the association offers the following information for them:

• Bicycle drivers usually ride in the right half of the lane, to offer visibility and easier passing for motorists. But they are not required to stay out of the way or to share their laneif it is not wide enough for side-by-side operation. The best position for cyclists in a narrow lane is one that makes it clear to a following motorist that he or she must change lanes. Typically, this is between the right tire track and the center of the lane, but varies based on many dynamic conditions. There are times when cyclists need to ride on the left side of the lane: to avoid a hazard or bad pavement; when traveling the speed of traffic; preparing for a left turn; or even to strongly discourage a motorist from passing when it is not safe.

“Since Florida has a high rate of bicycle accidents, we at Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. encourage motorists to be observant of bicyclists and to remember the ‘3-foot’ rule,” says Naples Bicycle Accident Attorney, Randall Spivey.

Naples Bicycle Accident Attorney,Randall L. Spivey is a Board Certified Trial Attorney – the highest recognition for competence bestowed by the Florida Bar and a distinction earned by just one (1%) percent of Florida attorneys. He has handled over 2,000 personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida. For a free and confidential consultation to discuss your legal rights, contact the Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., in Lee County at 239.337.7483 or toll free at 1.888.477.4839,or by email to Randall@SpiveyLaw.com. Visit SpiveyLaw.com for more information. You can contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A.in Charlotte County at 941.764.7748 and in Collier County 239.793.7748.