Safer Cycling Foundation needs YOUR help! New Zealand needs to implement lifesaving legislation and show a genuine commitment to making the roads safer for cyclists by making it law that a motorist must give a cyclist 1.5m of space when passing them. Essentially, we are asking that basic courtesy is made a legal requirement, in an effort to save lives. There needs to be an enforceable penalty for motorists who pass cyclists too closely and either risk endangering them or cause an accident. All too often we are seeing drivers not being held accountable for their poor decisions when it comes to sharing the road with cyclists. This will be a step in the right direction to help everyone respect each other’s space and stay safe on the road. 

Specifically, we are asking for the following to be made law, with appropriate penalties applied if the law is breached: 

“When overtaking a cyclist on New Zealand Roads the driver of the vehicle needs to leave a minimum distance between the car and the cyclist. The distance the car has to be away from the cyclist while overtaking is 1.5m.” 

Many cyclist deaths and serious injuries result from rear-end or sideswipe collisions involving a car or heavy vehicle. As a consequence of this, minimum passing distance laws have been introduced in Spain, Belgium, France, a number of U.S states, the Netherlands, Portugal, Nova Scotia, Western Cape Province, South Africa and Australia. These regulations set an enforceable minimum distance to be kept while overtaking cyclists. If you think it is time New Zealand caught up with the aforementioned countries and implemented this law - sign this petition and ask that this simple change be made.