Any cyclist knows that the biggest danger on the road is other drivers. It is not even because motorists are acting somehow malicious to cyclists either. Most of the time, accidents involving cyclists are caused purely because a motorist doesn’t know how to share the road. However, Michigan lawmakers are considering forcing the next generation of drivers to learn by adding bicycle safety to their driver’s education curriculum.

The House Committee on Transportation moved this bill to the Michigan House floor. In it, the bill states that driver’s education curriculum would now include at least one hour of instruction on the laws and safety revolving around bicycles, motorcycles, pedestrians, and anything else classified as vulnerable roadway users. As there are already pieces of curriculum for pedestrians and motorcycles, this will be more centered on bicycle safety than anything else.

Co-sponsors and supporters of this bull state that motorists are often confused by the number of different bicycle pathways that are appearing in many Michigan communities. This is especially true when it comes to bicycle pathways that are installed between roads and parking areas. Some drivers may know that they are not allowed into bicycle lanes, but then they don’t know how to park without just zipping through them.

Hopefully, the bill, which is now being voted on, passes and goes into law. While it won’t do anything for many of the drivers on the road today, it does paint a potentially safer future for cyclists as more teens take to the road with full knowledge of how to share the road with bicycles.

Unfortunately, until everyone becomes educated on how to share the road with bicycles, accidents will still happen. If you have been in a cycling accident with a motorist, you need someone who is in your corner. Contact us so the Law Office of Gary Brustin can make sure you get the compensation that your injuries deserve.