Recently, the Massachusetts Senate, led by Sen. Sal DiDomenico and his colleagues, voted to advance legislation designed to make roads safer for all users. Created through partnership with bicycle, pedestrian and transportation advocacy groups, S.2570, An Act to reduce traffic fatalities, contains provisions intended to enhance road safety, reduce crash severity, and create uniform methods for collecting and analyzing crash information.
“This bill is an important next step in our efforts to create safer streets for all road users, especially cyclists and pedestrians,” stated Sen. Sal DiDomenico (D-Everett), Assistant Majority Leader of the Massachusetts Senate. “We must ensure that our roadways are safe and accessible for everyone, and I am confident that this legislation will go a long way towards achieving that goal and reducing traffic fatalities in the Commonwealth.”
“We need to keep working year after year to achieve a future in which traffic fatalities get as close as possible to zero,” noted Sen. William N. Brownsberger (D-Belmont), the bill’s lead Senate sponsor. “This bill will help us move in the right direction.”
“This legislation updates basic protections for pedestrians, cyclists and others who may be on the road, and is a common-sense policy to ensure safer roadways for pedestrians and drivers alike” commented Senate President Harriette L. Chandler (D-Worcester). “I am very happy the Senate has passed this legislation.”
“This bill takes an important step in encouraging the use of multimodal transportation to relieve the congestion and reduce our state’s carbon footprint,” remarked Sen. Joseph A. Boncore (D-Winthrop), Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation, which endorsed the measure with a favorable recommendation earlier this year. “Ensuring that pedestrians and cyclists have more protections on shared roads is vital to that end.”
Among its key provisions, the bill designates pedestrians, utility workers, first responders and cyclists as “vulnerable road users,” and mandates that motor vehicles maintain “safe passing distance” of at least three feet when traveling at 30 miles per hour or less, with an additional foot required for each 10 miles per hour above that threshold. Existing law requires only that motor vehicle operators pass at “a safe distance and at a reasonable and proper speed.” Additionally, vehicles overtaking vulnerable road users must use all or part of the adjacent lane, including crossing the center line when necessary, provided it is safe to do so and safe distance cannot be maintained in the same lane.
Certain large vehicles newly purchased, leased or operated under Commonwealth contract would be required to have lateral protective devices that address high ground clearance risks to vulnerable road users during accidents. These vehicles must also be equipped with convex and cross-over mirrors to improve driver visibility around the vehicle. These requirements apply to vehicles purchased or leased by the Commonwealth after January 1, 2019 and to vehicles operating under leases entered into on or after January 1, 2020.
The Executive Office of Public Safety and Security must create a standardized tool for reporting crashes and incidents involving vulnerable road users and maintain a public database of these reports to support efforts aimed at reducing traffic fatalities.
A 25 mile per hour speed limit would be established in unposted areas of state highways or parkways within thickly settled or business districts in municipalities that have adopted the 25 mile per hour local option, as research shows lower speeds reduce crash severity. While current law requires bicyclists to use a front white light at night, the bill would also mandate both a red rear light and red rear reflector to enhance cyclist visibility.
The legislation will next be considered by the House of Representatives.