In this post, learn why slow down, how to legally and safely pass a person on a bicycle, how to use the “Dutch Reach” to avoid smacking one, the rights of people who bike to share the road, and more—including tips in short Bike-Safe Driving videos.
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NOTE: Most people who drive genuinely care about the safety of people who bike. Yet many drivers—of all ages—have little or no personal experience of biking on streets today. It makes sense they might not automatically think of some areas of concern!
As a passenger recently, the driver appreciated our sharing that it would be helpful to go slower than the speed limit, and be extra alert for anyone on a bicycle, when rounding a curve at the bottom of a hill on Garden Road in Monterey. Why? Because there is commonly debris (e.g., broken glass, rocks) as well as vegetation overgrowth in the next stretch of the bike lane, which forces people on bikes to move over to the motor vehicle travel lane. Sure enough, immediately after the driver slowed to more cautiously round that curve, they saw the bike lane conditions we’d anticipated.
First, slow down!
If you read the cover story in the Monterey County Weekly’s July 30 – Aug 5, 2026 issue, you know we aren’t immune from experiencing close calls with texting drivers or otherwise dangerous drivers. The story, by Aric Sleeper, also highlights “the Vision Zero Plan, a component of a worldwide initiative,” which “points out that speed directly influences the severity and likelihood of a crash, as increased speed means it takes more time to stop the vehicle, and that a driver’s field of awareness narrows the harder they hit the gas….Even small reductions in speed can significantly improve crash outcomes by reducing the likelihood of fatal or life-altering injuries.”
The first section below is specific to California. This post also includes bike-friendly driving videos relevant throughout the USA.
California law requires sharing the roads with people who bike. This includes—but is not limited to—how to pass a bicyclist:
🚘➡️➡️➡️🚴Since 2014 CA has a Three Feet for Safety law (give a minimum of 3 feet when passing).
🚘⚠️In addition, since 2023, CA Vehicle Code Section 21760 now further requires drivers of motor vehicles to change lanes when passing someone on a bicycle whenever feasible, just as they would if passing a car!
See drawings and text on “Passing a Bicyclist” in (https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/handbook/california-driver-handbook/laws-and-rules-of-the-road-cont1/) —and note carefully the important reminders below the drawings!
Rights to Share the Road
For additional important info for California drivers about sharing the roads with people who bike, go to the following section of the California Driver’s Handbook: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/handbook/california-driver-handbook/laws-and-rules-of-the-road-cont1/ . Its info on “Bicycles” includes that among the rights of people who bike, bicyclists may:
⭐️🚲”Legally ride on certain sections of freeways where there is no alternate route and bicycling is not forbidden by law.”
⭐️🚲”Move left to avoid hazards. These may include parked or moving vehicles, bicycles, animals, or trash.”
⭐️🚲”Choose to ride near the left curb or edge of a one-way street.”
⭐️🚲”Choose to use crosswalks by stopping and crossing as a pedestrian.”
‼️ICYMI: Please carefully refer to that section’s (https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/handbook/california-driver-handbook/laws-and-rules-of-the-road-cont1/) drawings and text on “Passing a Bicyclist”—and note carefully the important reminders below the drawings!
Also in the California Driver’s Handbook are descriptions and restrictions on bike lanes—e.g., “it is illegal to drive in a bicycle lane unless you are parking (where permitted); entering or leaving the road; turning (within 200 feet of an intersection).” Learn more; go down to “Bicycle Lanes” in https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/handbook/california-driver-handbook/navigating-the-roads/.
How to safely exit a motor vehicle: The “Dutch Reach”
TIP for drivers anywhere: A simple habit, the “Dutch Reach,” can help prevent “dooring” a person on a bicycle—which often results in injury or even fatality! A 1-minute video, “Tu Familia,” shows a poignant incident of dooring and why use the Dutch Reach. Dooring is also the topic of video #5 among the first seven Bike League videos below, in Spanish and English.
Bicycle-Friendly Driver / Bike-Safe Driver videos covering seven topics—in Spanish and English—are available on the League of American Bicyclists (Bike League) Youtube channel:
As for YouTube, you may want to do as we do: make use of DuckDuckGo’s Duck Player. The Duck Player “lets you watch videos on YouTube without privacy-invading ads, and keeps what you watch from impacting your recommendations.” Details: https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/duck-player
🚲In Spanish and English, Bike League’s videos for motorists, a playlist of seven short videos;
in English https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEunXMVRYA7SvZsgu-YYeUJbo0rdgmRIF
in Spanish https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEunXMVRYA7TRPpFiT_C14G_EBgDf2r_f.
Bike League also has a basic truck-related video series:
🚲In Spanish and English, Bike League’s Camiones Grandes y Bicicletas / Big Trucks and Bikes, a three-part educational video series. https://bikeleague.org/new-video-series-big-trucks-and-bikes-educating-truck-drivers-to-save-lives/.
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