Safe Passing

Oklahoma Passes Law to Protect Bicyclists

MAY 23, 2006 -- OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (BRAIN)—Bike riding in Oklahoma just got a lot safer. Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry signed Oklahoma’s Bicycle Law (HB2926), turning the bill into law. It is now a finable offense to pass a bike closer than three feet in Oklahoma.

“Governor Henry signed our new bicycle law on Friday and I believe this makes Oklahoma only the third state to have a safe-passing law and the second state in the U.S. to impose these fines,” said Ron Dougherty, Bike Mine’s operations manager. “This is a direct result the efforts of the Oklahoma Bicycle Coalition,” he added.

The bill passed an almost unanimous Oklahoma House vote—43 to one—on April 26. The new law re-defines bicycle for the purposes of the states vehicle code, eliminating restricting wheel sizes and configurations. It also eliminates confusing language as to where bicyclists should ride on the road and removes the previous state requirement that cyclists ride on sidewalks. The bill sets up fines for injury or death if a motorist hits a cyclist.