Our mission is to increase the number of cyclists who feel safe and confident riding on the roads yet near misses and perceived risk are justifiably the top reasons cyclists stop cycling and potential cyclists don’t start. To give cyclists the confidence to ride on the roads we encourage them to always ride with a camera and to submit all of their near miss incident reports to our free Incident Management System.
Our cycling safety work initially focused on 3 foot violations which law enforcement repeatedly told us were too subjective to enforce. As a best alternative we partnered with the California Highway Patrol to create a hand signed three foot warning letter that the Castro Valley CHP sends to drivers if a cyclist reports a 3 foot law violation. This is a best practice that cyclists can encourage their local law enforcement to implement.
We then defined the concept of criminal near misses to charge drivers with assault or reckless driving when documented by cyclists’ video evidence. To raise awareness, and prove the concept that “everyone knows a criminal near miss when they see one,” we compiled some of our cyclists’ video evidence so everyone can viscerally experience the threat, risk and terror involved in criminal near misses. We also secured legal precedents charging drivers for assault that all cyclists can leverage if law enforcement refuses to cite a driver.
We are now defining “pre” or “imminent” near misses to generate near miss data, combined with objective cyclist video evidence, to map dangerous areas for local traffic planners and engineers. To raise awareness, and prove the concept that “everyone knows a “pre” or “imminent” near miss when they see one,” we compiled some of our cyclists’ video evidence from submitted incident reports.
These three near miss incident types define our near miss spectrum ranging from criminal enforcement, to non-punitive and educational 3 foot warning letters in the middle, to mapping dangerous areas for local traffic planners and engineers.
You can watch the video compilations and view the 3 foot warning letter on our Near Miss Spectrum Overview page.
Please join our free membership and help make cycling safer in your community by entering all of your near miss incidents in our free Incident Management System.
If you have any thoughts or feedback we welcome all comments below.
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If you agree that our work helps increase cycling safety, please back us by donating. We are entirely donation and sponsor funded.
Please use our Contact Us form if you have any questions.