Many states (including Minnesota) have rules that require vehicles to allow a certain buffer between themselves and a bicycle when passing to the left. Minnesota has a three-foot rule, as does Utah. Many feel this rule is decorative – on the books but never enforced.
However, in Utah, it seems that one cyclist is pressing charges for a violation of that very statute. As the article observes, courts are untested on enforcement of this statute in Utah, and quite probably elsewhere as well — I’m not turning up much in WestLaw looking for it (note: I am not a lawyer). This may be interesting to watch progress, because while these kinds of traffic regulations exist on a state-by-state basis, even in state courts many verdicts look to other states for precedent and guidance when a statute comes to challenge.
