State court’s ruling on bicyclists’ rights was the right one

State court’s ruling on bicyclists’ rights was the right one

One of two major rights affirmed allows bicyclists to sue if they are harmed by a negligent driver.
Central Main
2/14/15

[…] The coalition was concerned that if the bus company prevailed in its interpretation of the passing law, any time a bicycle was hit by a car while passing to the right of traffic – whether in a bike lane, in a shared lane or on a shoulder – the motorist would have been protected from any liability and the bicyclist barred from recovering damages. This would have had a chilling effect on encouraging people to ride bicycles, which are typically ridden to the right of motor vehicle traffic, because cyclists would basically be denied the right to bring an action against motorists, even in cases where the motorist was clearly negligent. […]