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Official Code of Georgia Annotated

Title 40. MOTOR VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC · Chapter 6. UNIFORM RULES OF THE ROAD · Article 3. DRIVING ON RIGHT SIDE OF ROADWAY, OVERTAKING AND PASSING, FOLLOWING TOO CLOSELY

40-6-56. Procedure for passing a bicyclist.

Active

Current through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly.

  1. (a)

    The operator of a motor vehicle approaching a bicycle shall approach the bicycle with due caution and shall proceed as follows:#

    1. (1)

      Make a lane change into a lane not adjacent to the bicycle if possible in the existing road and traffic conditions; or#

    2. (2)

      If a lane change under paragraph (1) of this subsection would be impossible, prohibited by law, or unsafe, reduce the speed of the motor vehicle to a reasonable and proper speed for the existing road and traffic conditions, which speed shall be at least ten miles per hour less than the posted speed limit or 25 miles per hour, whichever is more, and proceed around the bicycle with at least three feet between such vehicle and the bicycle at all times.#

  2. (b)

    Any violation of this Code section shall be a misdemeanor punished by a fine of not more than $250.00.#

The notes below are printed with the section but are not enacted law (O.C.G.A. § 1-1-1(c)). They are shown apart from the text.

History

Code 1981, § 40-6-56, enacted by Ga. L. 2011, p. 426, § 2/HB 101; Ga. L. 2021, p. 470, § 1/HB 353.

Amendments

The 2021 amendment, effective July 1, 2021, substituted the present provisions of this Code section for the former provisions, which read: “(a) As used in this Code section, the term ‘safe distance’ means not less than three feet. “(b) Notwithstanding any provision of this article to the contrary, when feasible, the operator of a motor vehicle, when overtaking and passing a bicycle that is proceeding in the same direction on the roadway, shall leave a safe distance between such vehicle and the bicycle and shall maintain such clearance until safely past the overtaken bicycle.” See Editor’s notes for applicability.

Editor's notes

Ga. L. 2021, p. 470, § 2/HB 353, not codified by the General Assembly, provides that: “This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2021, and shall apply to offenses committed on or after that date.”

Read the official page (the state's PDF, opened at the page this text was read from).

Current through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly.

Text read from t40-ch6-16-(v29)-pdf.pdf, Volume V29, 2018 edition, 2025 supplement, pages 19 to 20; merge action: replaced; file SHA-256 6fa67a38989e.