Michigan Finally Ready to Protect People on Bikes

A cultural change regarding bike safety for the home of the U.S. auto industry is a long time coming.

1 minute read

January 6, 2018, 9:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Detroit, Michigan

A Zagster bikeshare station in Detroit. | Susan Montgomery / Shutterstock

Writing for the Associated Press, David Eggert examines the changing conversation around bikes and bike infrastructure in Michigan—traditional home of the U.S. auto industry.

According to Eggert, the state took a slow approach to adopting bicycle-friendly policies, and is now trying to catch up. Among the proposed laws currently moving through the State Legislature strict bike-safety regulations, new penalties for distracted driving, and a five-foot passing law.

Meanwhile the bike fatalities in the state are trending the wrong way. In 2016, 38 people on bikes were killed by people driving cars—twice as much as two years prior. 

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