Could a little black box strapped to the back of a bicycle be the key to bringing in new laws in Victoria that force motorists to leave at least a one-metre gap when passing?

The device – called PassBox – is being trialled by a group of bike riders in an effort to gather useful data about which streets in Melbourne are prone to dangerously close passes between cyclists and cars.

The volunteer group, Melbourne BUG, invited The Age to test out PassBox this week, on a busy road that might be one of the city's worst for such near misses: St Kilda Road.

The grand boulevard's reputation for bike bingles and serious crashes is already well established.