3 Feet Isn’t the Answer You Think It Is
Three feet. That's the number every cyclist has heard. It is also not the number in about a dozen states, and in a few states it is not even the right question to ask.
Florida requires a safe distance of at least three feet when a driver passes a bicyclist — the same minimum whether or not you're riding in a bike lane. But that number is a legal floor, not proof that a pass was safe. A driver can pass you by three feet and still violate the statute, and understanding why matters a great deal if you are ever the one on the pavement trying to explain what happened.
Other states don't use three…
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