The bike business is booming. Our city's road, especially in downtown Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota have never been so crowded with so many two wheels vehicles.
But as the number of cyclists increases, so does the number of bike accidents and fatalities.
Florida leads the country in bike deaths by a scary margin. About 150 cyclists are killed in the state every year. Bike-related medical costs are fast approaching $1 billion in the U.S.
The Bike/Walk Tampa Bay Coalition wants to make biking safer. It is stressing its "Share the Road" campaign. It is posting decals on squad cars in such places as Tampa, Largo and the USF campus stressing the "3 feet law."
The law requires drivers to pass at least three feet away from bicyclists on roads. Otherwise, drivers can receive a hefty ticket.
Kevin Craft, owner of City Bike Tampa, likes the idea.
"Sometimes you have to smack people in the face with it," said Craft.
The 3-feet cushion should hopefully allow for more reaction/correction time in case a car or a bike makes a dangerous maneuver.
Craft says the biggest mistake a bicyclist or motorcyclist can make is assuming we have right-of-way.
"As long as you look at a car and say, 'It's not going to stop for me,' you're fine," said Craft.
For more bike safety information, visit www.bikewalktampabay.org.
