Update: Feb. 8 — Vulnerable user bill, SB 5838, approved by Judiciary Committee. Next stop is Senate Rules Committee then a vote on the Senate floor.
It's time that vulernable users of the road — such as people riding bikes or walking — get more protection from the law.
A measure that increases penalties for motorists whose right-of-way violations cause injury or death faces a major hurdle at the Washington State Capitol this coming week.
A distracted driver's inattention can cause crumpled fenders between cars, but lead to serious injury or death when the victim is on a bike or on foot.
Regardless of the outcome, in too many cases police can only issue minor traffic citations that often don't even require a court appearance.
The Cascade Bicycle Club is working to change that by getting the Vulnerable User Bill (SB 5838) passed into law. They're calling on Washington bicyclists to contact their legislators to ask them to support the bill.
Advocacy Director David Hiller says that at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26, the bill has a second hearing and vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee to break a 4-4 tie. He'd like to pack the hearing room with bicyclists to show the strong support for the bill.
The bill calls for up to a $250 fine, a court appearance, a traffic safety course, and possible community service of up to 100 hours for drivers who kill or severely injure vulnerable road users. The law calls for license suspension and a $5,000 for drivers who don't fulfill the requirements. See the Vulnerable User Bill summary.
It doesn't criminalize the action, the Seattle Times points out. If enacted, the number of court hearings would only rise by 0.02 percent.
A similar law passed in 2007 in Oregon. It requires 2 court appearances, 100 to 200 hours of community service and traffic school; a $12,500 fine can be levied if the other conditions are not met.
If you'd like to help:
Find and contact your state senator using this easy form.
Email Cascade at organizer@cascadebicycleclub.org (put “vulnerable user hearing” in subject field) and volunteer to attend the Committee hearing in Olympia on Tuesday.
Advocacy Day
Meanwhile, if you find you like hob-nobbing with your legislators, you might want to sign up for Transportation Advocacy Day in Olympia on Thursday, Jan. 28. You can register at Transportation Choices.
The Bicycle Alliance of Washington lists all the bicycling bills this session.
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