Along with Illinois and twelve other states, Maryland has recently enacted a traffic law requiring motor vehicles to pass bicyclists at a distance three feet or more.  A new study in the journal, Accident Analysis & Prevention, seeks to assess compliance with the law in Baltimore.  Through the use of video cameras mounted on cyclists, the study  measures the distance between motor vehicles and cyclists during passing maneuvres.  The authors find that significant numbers of drivers do not observe the three-foot passing law, especially on roadways without bikeway markings of any kind.  However, where bicycle lanes were present, no passes of three feet or less occurred on roadways.

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