Convincing everyone to break up early is difficult though. Many riders aren’t sure yet if they want to jump on with the fast group, or hang back with their usual pace. The first big hill (which is a long way into the ride in the land of flat Nebraska) often separates the group out.

You’ll get no argument from me that we don’t need a new law on this matter. But just because something is legal doesn’t mean doing it is in our best interest. I’m of course not talking about you coming up on a group of five riders, but of a group of 20, 30, 40 etc riders deciding to not split up, even though they know staying in one group annoys and delays some other folks.

To me it’s about being Mindful and respectful of others, not what should or should not be illegal. Balancing one’s own desires against those of others.

You’ll notice that I said “vehicle” and not “bicycle”. The state law is very plain in this regard. Bicycles ~are~ vehicles under the state law, and have all the priveleges and responsibilities of any other vehicle. So, if I’m in my car and come upon 5 other “vehicles”, am I in a “group”? If so, we must all be in violation of the law!

In a nutshell, we don’t need new laws. The exising ones, if enforced, are more than adequate.

Jack

There is however a pretty clear correlation of climate and bicyclist fatalities. The states with the highest rates are mostly sunbelt; the lowest mostly icebox.

There may be something however to aggressive motorists resulting in bad cycling behavior. Novice cyclists try to “hide” from motorists to keep from incurring their wrath, and hiding leads to crashes.

I’ve noticed different behavior in various places as well. Florida drivers do have a reputation for intolerance which stands apart from group behavior. Stupid passing behavior exists pretty much everywhere I’ve ridden, except Amish Country.

But even within Florida, there is remarkably increased intolerance in places where large packs of riders operate regularly. One of the problems with a flat state is that people of limited skill and fitness can suck wheel and hang onto a pack of riders for 40 miles. Add the year-round weather and the year-round social aspect to the flat terrain, and I’d be willing to bet our groups are larger and more obnoxious than in most northern, hilly states.

We need to be careful about tossing around the “death-trap” figures. There are many factors that contribute to our annual FAR. Not the least of which is year-round cycling. And, like it or not, incompetent and illegal cyclist behavior plays a significant role in those numbers. Complaining about how dangerous it is to ride on Florida roads will only backfire — it doesn’t make anyone want to change motorist behavior, it just makes them want to get us off the road all-the-more.

If motorists need to change lanes to pass anyway, then 4 abreast is no different than 2.

The same discrimination and faulty logic that creates far-to-the-right laws also imposes no-more-than-2 abreast laws.

Wayne