A new law has been introduced to ensure the safety of cyclists on Irish roads and it has been claimed as a step in the right direction.
Motorists who are caught dangerously overtaking a cyclist will face a fine of up to €120 and a minimum of three penalty points.
The new legislation states:
"A driver shall not overtake or attempt to overtake if to do so would endanger or cause inconvenience to a pedal cyclist."
The Chief Executive of the Road Safety Authority has praised this new legislation and said that it is a "step in the right direction".
CEO for RSA Ireland, Moyagh Murdock claimed that cyclists are very vulnerable and that this will "hopefully" result in an "improvement in road safety".
She said:
"The outcomes are much worse for anybody on a bike if they have to take some sort of manoeuvre to get out of the way of an inconsiderate motorist"
She added that the RSA had "deliberately moved away from having a specified distance" in the law because it was "too complex" and "difficult to enforce".
Ciara Clark of the Dublin Cycling Campaign also agreed that cyclists are very vulnerable and said:
"Cyclists are vulnerable, a cyclist is a very tiny person on a very tiny piece of machinery, and a car is a big soundproof box of steel, so they have got to make provision for the space on the road and just become aware.
"I am pleading today with motorists to do the enforcing themselves to just slow down and create a bit of space."
