The simple road quiz about overtaking cyclists where motorists are dumbfounded: ‘I have no idea’
- QLD drivers can cross fixed lanes to overtake cyclists
- Motorists must give cyclists 1 – 1.5 meters of space
- Cyclists are on the list of vulnerable road users
Motorists disagree on a very simple traffic rule when overtaking a cyclist.
Transport and Major Roads Queensland challenged the drivers and their knowledge of the road by asking a very simple question online.
“Are you allowed to cross double continuous lane markings to pass a cyclist?”
Social media users were left scratching their heads as several admitted they didn’t know the answer.
Transport and Major Roads Queensland asked motorists online, ‘Are you allowed to cross double continuous lane markings to pass a motorcyclist?’
“I always thought you could never cross double lines or a solid line,” one wrote.
A second added, “I had no idea.”
Queensland drivers are allowed to cross solid lines and enter the oncoming lane to give cyclists one meter of space in a 60km/h zone.
They are required to give them 1.5 meters in higher speed zones according to Transport and main roads.
Drivers can also travel across a painted island to safely pass someone on a bicycle.
A social media user questioned why ‘special rules’ are given to cyclists.
“So it’s illegal and unsafe to cross double white lines at any point hence why the double white lines are there in the first place but all of a sudden it’s okay to do it to pass a cyclist,” they wrote .
‘It does not make any sense.’
“But motorcyclists are allowed to pass cars at zero meters at any speed,” added another.
Cyclists are designated by the National Road Safety Strategy as vulnerable road users, together with pedestrians, motorcyclists, children aged 7 and under, the elderly and users of mobility aids.
“If it’s safe, roll down your window and yell ‘get a car,'” one commenter said.
The fine for motorists who fail to give way to cyclists in QLD is three demerit points and anywhere from $431 to $5,700 in fines.
In Australia, motorists were responsible for around 79 per cent of crashes involving cyclists in 2018, after 45 people died on bicycles according to the 2018 Australian Automobile Association Benchmarking Report.
Motorists must give cyclists 1 meter space in a 60 km zone and 1.5 meters in high-speed areas when overtaking them on the road
Cyclists, along with children and the elderly, are among the most vulnerable people on Australian roads
More recently, a record 2,330 cyclists were hospitalized after road collisions in NSW in 2021, the highest number since data was collected in 2005.
Cyclists in the state now account for 23 percent of road accident hospitalizations, and many near misses go unreported, according to Bicycle NSW.
“Most complaints from cyclists to the NSW police about aggressive driving go uninvestigated,” said advocacy chairman John Hawkins. told Sydney Morning Herald.
NSW traffic laws are almost identical to QLD laws, where drivers must give cyclists one meter of space in 60km/h zones and 1.5 meters in higher speed areas.
In 2022, 20 fines were issued to drivers in NSW for violating minimum passing distance rules.
Transport for NSW launched the ‘Share the Road’ campaign in October 2022 to remind cyclists and motorists of their mutual responsibility.
The campaign reinforces safe distancing laws and the need for cyclists to use bike lanes when available, with laws allowing them to use a full lane on the road if there are rough road edges or gravel.