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Message
LA Vulnerable Road User bill aimed at protecting pedestrians and bicyclists
Posted on 4/12/16 at 8:28 pm
Posted on 4/12/16 at 8:28 pm
Do they really think that this bill will curb pedestrian deaths?
LINK
LINK
quote:
BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - A bill designed to decrease roadway crashes by increasing penalties for careless drivers has passed through a committee at the State Capitol. The Vulnerable Road User bill heads to the Senate floor after passing the Senate Committee on Judiciary Tuesday. SB 171, sponsored by Sen. Gary Smith, D-Norco, seeks to make it a crime if a driver hits any public road user causing them any level of injury. A public roadway user, according to the bill, is defined as anyone who is utilizing the roadway outside of a motor vehicle. That includes, but is not limited to, pedestrians, bicyclists, skateboarders, person using a mobility device, motorcycle or scooter, wheelchair, etc. A driver who is found guilty of such an offense causing injury could face any or all of the increased penalties such as a suspended driver's license for up to one year, a fine for no more than $2,000, imprisonment for no more than 90 days, an order to complete a court-approved motor vehicle accident prevention program, and no more than 200 community service hours. In those cases where the non-motorist victim dies, the penalties additionally include a prison sentence of no more than five years and a fine no more than $5,000, or both. "In August of 2015, the Center for Disease Control released a report that ranks Louisiana third in the nation for bicyclist deaths per capita. A total of 15% of Louisiana traffic fatalities take the life of a pedestrian, bicyclist or other Vulnerable Road User," said Mika Torkkola, a representative of the non-profit organization Bike Baton Rouge. "It is not uncommon for drivers who are involved in serious crashes that kill or maim pedestrians, bicyclists or motorcyclists to escape prosecution entirely. In only the most egregious cases are punishments that are proportional to the devastation that a motor vehicle crash can cause handed down." This is the second time Smith has presented this legislation. The bill also made it out of committee several years ago, but eventually failed to secure the required votes.
This post was edited on 4/12/16 at 9:10 pm
4
Posted on 4/12/16 at 8:36 pm to sleepytime
You were dyslexic in your subject line.
I don't completely agree with this bill. It might have come about from the death of Dr. Colin Goodier a few years ago when he was cycling on River Road in Baton Rouge. I think there were a couple of other recent similar deaths but I don't recall victim's names.
If a driver of any motorized vehicle is impaired and kills any of the referenced parties, or doing something like texting that caused a lapse of attention, I say throw the book at him.
But there are such things as accidents, hence the word accidents.
I don't completely agree with this bill. It might have come about from the death of Dr. Colin Goodier a few years ago when he was cycling on River Road in Baton Rouge. I think there were a couple of other recent similar deaths but I don't recall victim's names.
If a driver of any motorized vehicle is impaired and kills any of the referenced parties, or doing something like texting that caused a lapse of attention, I say throw the book at him.
But there are such things as accidents, hence the word accidents.
Posted on 4/12/16 at 9:08 pm to Red Stick Tigress
quote:
If a driver of any motorized vehicle is impaired and kills any of the referenced parties, or doing something like texting that caused a lapse of attention, I say throw the book at him.
Or if they do something like, attempt to pass a cyclist on a two lane road while another car is coming from the other direction.
I'd like to see some more clarification on this bill.
Posted on 4/12/16 at 9:19 pm to Red Stick Tigress
The text says "when caused proximately or caused directly by an offender engaged in the operation of a motor vehicle in a careless or distracted manner."
We already have careless and distracted driver laws on the books and IIRC, what is "careless" or "distracted" is very open ended for cops to decide and they can add it onto just about anything.
We already have careless and distracted driver laws on the books and IIRC, what is "careless" or "distracted" is very open ended for cops to decide and they can add it onto just about anything.
Posted on 4/12/16 at 9:39 pm to sleepytime
Let's face it. Most accidents happen because someone is careless or distracted. It is probably rarely due to mechanical failure.
Posted on 4/12/16 at 9:41 pm to sleepytime
I am assuming that the "vulnerable road user" is legally there, and not acting like a douchebag.
Posted on 4/12/16 at 9:58 pm to sleepytime
If you want to use the road, purchase a license plate and a vehicle inspection sticker. These "I have a right" idiots are a hazard. No one should be allowed to drive a motorized chair in a roadway.
Posted on 4/13/16 at 8:03 am to sleepytime
It would be nice to see some rules enacted and enforced on bicyclists and pedestrians in addition to adding laws to crack down on motorists. Although I don't live in LA, we have similar issues in my area. We've got recreational bike riders riding (often in packs) on roads that aren't safe for bike riders, and for whatever reason they choose to do it during the morning and afternoon work commute times. We've also got runners who will refuse to move over and choose to run in the streets shoulder to shoulder as they face oncoming traffic as opposed to using sidewalks and going single file to stay off the roads. I usually go to the gym early in the morning and I've started taking a different (longer) route to get to and from the gym just to avoid folks running in the middle of the road during pre-dawn hours in fear of hitting one of them. This crap ticks me off to no end. I run and I ride a bike but I exercise common sense knowing that I'm out there for recreational purposes and stick to sidewalks when at all possible and roads that are better suited for recreational bike riding.
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