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                            Library & Multimedia
 Technology Used To Enhance Bike Safety Program
NCJ Number
              249256

Author(s)
          Michele Coppola
Date Published

October 2015
Length
              5 pages
Annotation
              This article describes a program in Chattanooga, TN, in which police use ultrasonic sensor technology to assist in enforcing a Tennessee State law that requires motorists to provide no less than 3 feet of clearance when passing bicyclists.
Abstract
              The portable technology is mounted on bike handle-bars and uses an ultrasonic sensor to calculate the distance between a passing car and a bicycle.  The device displays the distance in inches and beeps an alarm if the vehicle comes within 36 inches of the bike.  A GoPro camera, which is purchased separately, records the vehicle passing and the inches display.   This confirms the distance for evidence in court.   The city uses billboards and rear-window wraps on patrol cars to educate the public about the bike-passing law.  The city periodically uses “stings,” which are planned operations in which bicycling officers in plain clothes alert a patrol car waiting nearby to stop an offending motorist.  A citation is $120, which includes the fine and court costs.  Judges can order a motorist to participate in a 90-minute cycling education class.  Austin, TX, has a similar program.  In both Chattanooga and Austin, the community response to efforts at improving motorist-cyclist safety practices has been overwhelmingly positive.  Community groups in both cities have made significant unsolicited cash and in-kind donations to support increased efforts to make bicycling on public roads safer.
      
  
          Additional Details
Agencies
        NIJ-Sponsored


  
  
        
  Award
        This submission is to operate a National Criminal Justice Technology Information Resource Center (NCJ-TIRC) within the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) System.
    
  
  
Date Published: October 1, 2015
    
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