Rodney Mesriani, Esq.,
Mesriani Law Group - Top Personal Injury Law Firms in California
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) April 18, 2014
Experienced Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, Rodney Mesriani, Esq., greatly welcomes the amendment to California Vehicle Code, specifically the addition of Section 21750 and Section 21760, which provides for specific distance and other conditions in passing or overtaking a bicycle and also mandating for penalty of fines even if no accident actually occurs.
Assembly Bill No. 1371, approved by Governor on September 23, 2013, filed with Secretary of State on September 23, 2013 and to be made operative on September 16, 2014, specifically provides amendment and addition to the Vehicle Code as follows:
"Section 21750 is added to the Vehicle Code, will read:
(a) The driver of a vehicle overtaking another vehicle proceeding in the same direction shall pass to the left at a safe distance without interfering with the safe operation of the overtaken vehicle, subject to the limitations and exceptions set forth in this article.
(b) This section shall become operative on September 16, 2014.
Section 21760 is added to the Vehicle Code, to read:
(a) This section shall be known and may be cited as the Three Feet for Safety Act.
(b) The driver of a motor vehicle overtaking and passing a bicycle that is proceeding in the same direction on a highway shall pass in compliance with the requirements of this article applicable to overtaking and passing a vehicle, and shall do so at a safe distance that does not interfere with the safe operation of the overtaken bicycle, having due regard for the size and speed of the motor vehicle and the bicycle, traffic conditions, weather, visibility, and the surface and width of the highway.
(c) A driver of a motor vehicle shall not overtake or pass a bicycle proceeding in the same direction on a highway at a distance of less than three feet between any part of the motor vehicle and any part of the bicycle or its operator.
(d) If the driver of a motor vehicle is unable to comply with subdivision (c), due to traffic or roadway conditions, the driver shall slow to a speed that is reasonable and prudent, and may pass only when doing so would not endanger the safety of the operator of the bicycle, taking into account the size and speed of the motor vehicle and bicycle, traffic conditions, weather, visibility, and surface and width of the highway.
(e) (1) A violation of subdivision (b), (c), or (d) is an infraction punishable by a fine of thirty-five dollars ($35).
(2) If a collision occurs between a motor vehicle and a bicycle causing bodily injury to the operator of the bicycle, and the driver of the motor vehicle is found to be in violation of subdivision (b), (c), or (d), a two-hundred-twenty-dollar ($220) fine shall be imposed on that driver.
(f) This section shall become operative on September 16, 2014."
(Assembly Bill No. 1371, CHAPTER 331, An act to amend, repeal, and add Section 21750 of, and to add Section 21760 to, the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles.)
(Emphasis and underscoring supplied).
According to Mr. Mesriani, head of Expert Bicycle Accident Law Firm, the Three Feet for Safety Act would greatly protect bicycle enthusiasts and help minimize bicycle accidents caused by negligent and/or aggressive drivers who are impatient in sharing the streets and highways with bicycle riders. "What's great with the Three Feet for Safety Act is that it actually penalizes a driver with fine if he drove past a bicycle with a distance of less than 3 feet between any part of the motor vehicle and any part of the bicycle or its rider, therefore greatly protecting the bicycle riders from personal injuries that may be suffered in case of bicycle accidents like spine injuries, fractures, head injuries and even brain injuries or wrongful death", adds Mr. Mesriani.
Although the proposed bill will be made operative o September 16, 2014, public information dissemination has been started as early as late last year and knowledge alone of the fines despite absence of actual bicycle accident, according to Mr. Mesriani, has already been an effective deterrent to some of the motorists.
All the above considered, Mr. Mesriani again stresses the fact that, unless otherwise exempted by circumstances, violation of the Three Feet for Safety Act will incur a fine of $35 with the additional penalty of $220 if and when an actual bicycle accident occurs and these fines are aside from the obligation of paying compensation for the bicycle accident victim for his property damage, actual medical costs, future medical care, loss of earnings and pain and suffering and payment of other losses.
Mesriani Law Group's dynamic California personal injury law attorneys have been representing all victims of personal injury accidents to include cases involving bicycle accidents, auto accidents, pedestrian accidents, truck accidents, bus accidents and even train accidents for more than two decades now. Mesriani Law Group's top bicycle accident lawyers, as of date, have already obtained hundreds of millions in awards for their bicycle accident client victims and other personal injury victims in California.
About Mesriani Law Group, P.C.
Mesriani Law Group is a Los Angeles, California based personal injury law firm, founded by Rodney Mesriani, Esq., which specializes in handling all types of injury related accidents such as traffic accidents and premise liability accidents, including auto accident, truck and bus accident, motorcycle accident, bike accident, hit and run, drunk driving accident, uninsured motorist claim, slip and fall, pedestrian injury, construction injury accidents, premise liability, dog bite attacks, brain injury, spine injury, burn injury, pool drowning accident, product liability, wrongful death claim and even boating accident and aviation accident claims.
Mesriani Law Group's top bicycle accident attorneys in California offer aggressive legal representation on contingency basis. Mesriani Law Group's Top Bicycle Accident Law Firm is based in 510 Arizona Avenue., Santa Monica, CA 90401. To learn more about the firm, call 1.310.826.6300 for a free case evaluation or email them at rodney@mesriani.com or take advantage of their free on-line case submission.