Bill > S1807

This bill, aimed at protecting vulnerable road users, introduces a new definition for "vulnerable user" in Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 90, Section 1, which includes pedestrians, individuals operating various forms of personal transportation like bicycles, skateboards, wheelchairs, and even those riding animals. The bill then amends Chapter 90, Section 14, by requiring motor vehicle operators to slow down and maintain a safe passing distance of at least three feet from a vulnerable user when traveling at 30 miles per hour or less, with an additional foot of clearance required for every ten miles per hour above that speed. Furthermore, it modifies Chapter 89, Section 2, to stipulate that if a vehicle cannot safely overtake a vulnerable user or another vehicle in the same lane, it should use an adjacent lane, crossing the centerline if safe, or wait for a safe opportunity.