Victoria's peak motoring body is calling for a trial of a one-metre minimum passing distance rule to protect cyclists in the state.
The state's laws currently require drivers to give cyclists sufficient distance when passing, but don't specify a minimum.
Figures from the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) show 47 cyclists died and more than 2,100 were injured on Victorian roads between 2015 and 2019.
Under the RACV's proposed trial, drivers would have to leave at least one metre of space between their vehicle and cyclist when overtaking on roads less than 60 kilometres per hour.
On roads with speeds above 60kph, the RACV is proposing increasing the distance to 1.5 metres.
RACV senior manager Peter Kartsidimas said education campaigns implemented by the Victorian Government had not improved cyclist safety.
"More and more cyclist are still getting injured and killed on our roads," Mr Kartsidimas said.
"Research shows a lot of motorists are driving way too close to cyclists, which is why we're calling for a trial of the law."
Mr Kartsidimas said the Victorian Government agreed to trial minimum passing three years ago if its community education campaign was ineffective. A final report on the results of the campaign is yet to be released.
He also said data from a trial of minimum passing distance rules in NSW showed cyclist safety had improved, driver response to the trial was mixed but generally positive, and there was no clear evidence of negative unintended outcomes of the trial.
A Victorian Government transport spokeswoman said safety was always "the number one priority".
"We are reviewing the effectiveness of this road rule in other states to see if it could be rolled out in Victoria," she said.
'It'll need enforcement', cyclists say
Logan Shield lives in Avondale Heights and uses his bicycle to travel between home, work and social gatherings.
He doesn't always feel unsafe, but is concerned about the lack of cyclist-friendly roads on his commute .
"There's no bike lane and there's no footpath. I certainly feel unsafe [at times]," he said.
"I had a close call last week when a car was about a foot away, which was quite hairy, and travelling at about 50kph."
Mr Shield said he supported the trial because "anything to ensure the safety of cyclists is absolutely worth it".
Another cyclist, Simon Truscott, said it was "an excellent idea".
"I know they have it in other places so it's surprising it's not here. I've had a lot of close incidents recently. It's mainly trucks because they're so wide. It'll need enforcement."
Just this morning, cyclist Nicola Thomas saw a car clip a bike in Melbourne's CBD.
"[The car] cut the corner. I've been riding for a long time but I think [the danger] can put new people off," she said.
Mixed response from drivers
Driver Dave Robertson said the law could "make traffic better with more space and better flow for bikes and motorcycles".
Joanne, also a driver, said it was a good idea but "not feasible for a lot of people".
"We need to drop our kids off and live in difficult places. It's getting really difficult with bus replacements and road closures, having smaller lanes will slow Melbourne down to a crawl."
