GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.-- Two videos shot by a local cyclist show two separate occasions where a car just narrowly avoids hitting a group of cyclists.
"He is in the right side of the lane, and the car zooms by him, passing him on the left -- which you're supposed to do -- but basically buzzes him really close rather than keeping a two or three-foot distance as he goes around him," explains cycling enthusiast Dennis Murphy.
An avid bike rider, Murphy says he's not surprised by the number of collisions in Grand Rapids.
"When you have a car that weighs 4,000 pounds hitting somebody on a 25-pound bicycle, the cyclist is going to lose," said Murphy.
Officials say there are more car-bicycle accidents in the city of Grand Rapids than anywhere else in the state. Because of that, the city is rolling out some new plans to increase safety starting with the Driving Change campaign.
"In 2014, we had over 150 bike and car crashes," said Mayor Rosalynn Bliss. "Two of those were fatalities. That was really a wake up call for us to say that we have to do something to make sure our streets are safe."
"People will be seeing a lot of billboards, a lot of public service announcements, they'll hear it on the radio, they'll be seeing commercials," said Bliss, "and it will be about educating people on the rules of the roads for both drivers and bicyclists."
The effort will distribute 1,000 bike lights, educate Grand Rapids Public School students, and speak to cycling groups about the rules of the road.
"This is a lot of people coming together who fundamentally believe we need to have safe streets for everyone and wanting to be a part of this initiative," said Bliss.
