New Mass Traffic Laws: What You Need to Know
New Mass traffic laws just went into effect. They concern how much space drivers need to leave for cyclists and pedestrians.
Boston.com reported on the new rules of the road earlier today. The bill–H.5103–was actually signed into law back in early January of 2023, by then-Governor Charlie Baker. It was one of the last bills he signed before leaving office. The bill, which was sponsored by Belmont Democrat Sen. William Brownsberger, set out to do two things. First, to define what makes a “vulnerable” road user. Then, once that definition was decided upon, the aim was to codify how motorists should interact with these vulnerable road users.
So who are these vulnerable road users? According to MassBike and as listed in the Boston.com piece, they are the following: people who are walking or biking; roadside workers; people using wheelchairs; people riding motorized bicycles, scooters, skateboards, roller skates, or other micro-mobility vehicles; horse riders and horse-drawn carriages; and farm equipment. Now that the law is on the books, drivers are legally required to provide a safe passing distance of at least four feet when passing these vulnerable road users.
New Mass Traffic Laws: What Do You Think?
I, for one, am a fan of this law. And I’m a bit surprised that it took as long as it did to wind up on the books. Massachusetts is now the 36th state in the country to sign into law a safe passing distance of at least three feet. As progressive as the Commonwealth is, I’m surprised we weren’t one of the first.
In any event, any law that aims to protect the vulnerable–in this case, vulnerable road users–I see as a good law. And with so much distracted driving nowadays, we need all the protections we can get. Now, if only we could do something about the road rage.