Velo Advisor: Overtaking: Do cars have to keep the minimum distance?

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As a cyclist, cars often overtake me too closely in the city center because the streets are so narrow. Is there a minimum distance required by law? What if a car can’t catch up?
P. Oeri, Schlieren ZH

Apparently, cyclists get overtaken quite often (a lot). In the last major Pro Velo poll of cyclists, the phrase “Cars overtake me with sufficient lateral distance” was awarded a school grade of only 3.1 – ie.

The minimum distance when overtaking bicycles is not specifically defined by law. There is only talk of “maintaining sufficient distance” and “taking care”. Nowhere is a measure mentioned, since such a measure depends, among other things, on the speed driven. Other European countries still regulated the distance and set it to be at least 1.00 meters or more.

Distance more than 50 km/h

Various decisions of Swiss courts and legal literature also assume that the overtaking distance is at least 1.00 metres. However, this only applies at lower speeds. From 50 km/h it should definitely be greater, because overtaking closely leads to fear, risky proximity and dangerous crosswind pressure. Drivers who cannot maintain this lateral distance should expect a situation where there is sufficient space for overtaking. You cannot cross the safety line to overtake the bikes.

Therefore, to increase safety on Swiss roads, Pro Velo Schweiz legally requires a minimum overtaking distance of 1.50 meters for cyclists with motor vehicles. More information is available at pro-velo.ch.

Source: Blick