In Their Own Words: Why People Are Signing for a Safer Passing Law

Our petition calling for a minimum 1.5-metre passing distance law asks everyone who signs a simple question: why? The answers tell a consistent story — one of close calls, everyday anxiety on the road, and a genuine sense that current rules leave too much room for interpretation. Here's a look at what people are telling us, in their own words.

Close Calls Are Common, Not Rare

For many signers, this isn't a hypothetical concern. It's something they deal with regularly.

"I regularly cycle and experience vehicles passing me close and at speed. Traffic often puts me just a few centimeters from death or serious injury. Importantly, this is one of the main reasons more people choose not to cycle."

"I ride to work along a heavy vehicle route. It's bloody scary, I've had close calls weekly and been knocked off my bike twice. There is no alternative route — so having more certainty that someone has to give some space would help a little until we may have safe cycle infrastructure sometime in the far future."

"Close passes from badly behaved motor vehicles are possibly the worst aspect of on-road cycling. Prescribing a fixed distance into law won't fix the problem overnight but hopefully it will allow for some proactive enforcement."

A Feeling of Vulnerability

Several supporters described how the current road environment affects their confidence and sense of safety.

"As an older woman I don't feel safe at present on the road — drivers don't seem to take care when passing cyclists."

"I frequently ride on roads that are narrow and without shoulders. Having larger vehicles think about when and how they pass will help make the roads safer for all road users."

One long-time cyclist put it in stark terms, comparing New Zealand roads unfavourably to places most people would assume are far riskier:

"I've cycled all around the world and NZ has by far the worst and most dangerous / incompetent drivers. I feel more endangered on the road in NZ than in third world countries."

A Call for Clarity and Accountability

A recurring theme is that the current rules simply aren't specific enough to be useful — for drivers or for enforcement.

"Currently, it is unclear to drivers of motor vehicles what is expected of them; a statutory minimum passing distance of 1.5m would address this if publicised and included in the road code."

"Drivers need to respect other road users. It's their responsibility, as the danger on the roads, to act safely. It should be a legal responsibility with penalties applied for risking other people's lives."

And, as one supporter summed it up plainly:

"When people choose to do the WRONG thing we have to legislate."

Why This Matters to Us

We share these responses because they're a reminder that a petition isn't just a number — it's hundreds of individual experiences, each one a moment where someone felt less safe than they should have on a New Zealand road. That's exactly the gap our 1.5-metre passing rule campaign is trying to close.

If any of this sounds familiar to you, you can add your voice — and your reason — by signing the petition at chng.it/6Lbjcyq7Bf.