California residents: Senator Alan Lowenthal’s retry of a 3 foot passing law for California goes for a full state Senate vote next week.

To contact your Senator, punch your street, city and ZIP into this handy-dandy representative locator, click through on your Senator’s name, find the “Contact Me” link and send snail mail, email, or a phone call to your Senator’s office. You can also use this easy-to-use email generator to send a note of support to your state Senator.

The relevant points to mention to your Senator:

• The bill is SB 1464.
• SB 1464 gives drivers a clear, objective standard for a safe passing distance, versus the vague language of the current law.
• “Hit from behind” collisions — where a driver rear ends or swide swipes a cyclist because he didn’t give sufficient passing space — is a leading cause of deaths for cyclists.
• 21 other states have a similar law on the books already.
• Every bicycle advocacy group in the state of California, including the California Bicycle Coalition and the California Association of Bicycle Organizations (CABO), support this bill.