It's crunch time for the Washington state Vulnerable Users bills that create greater penalties for motorists who kill or injure bicyclists, pedestrians or other vulnerable road users.
The Cascade Bicycle Club says House and Senate versions of the bills received favorable support in committee hearings in Olympia. Now they face deadlines for votes by the full House or Senate by the end of the month so they can move on to the other chamber.
This is where a Vulnerable Users bill bogged down last year. That's why advocates at Cascade are asking members to encourage their state representatives to press for the bills to go to floor votes.
Contact your legislators
Cascade has created aemail form making it easy to contact your legislators. It addresses the email to the legislators in your district and includes a message pressing for action on the two bills. You can add to or change the message anyway you like.
Phone numbers for legislators also are on the form.
Due care
Essentially, SB 5326 and HB 1339 holds negligent drivers accountable when they kill or maim vulnerable road users, such as bicyclists.
Currently, unless they are drunk, negligent motorists face little more than a simple traffic ticket when they cause death or injury to bicyclists or pedestrians.
The bills would impose a fine $1,000 to $5,000 and suspension of driving privileges for 90 days unless the person appears in court and agrees to a $250 fine, complete a safe driving course and perform 100 hours of community service.
Most importantly, the bills reinforce the idea that motorists need to exercise due care when driving around pedestrians and bicyclists.
Similar bills in MD and NM
Similar bills are being discussed in state legislatures in Maryland and New Mexico, according to the League of American Bicyclists. Although these bills don't specify bicyclists as victims, they do increase penalties when careless or negligent driving leads to death or injury.
Unlike the Washington state bill, these bills in Maryland and New Mexico criminalize negligent driving.
The New Mexico bill, HB 68, allows for misdemeanor punishment of up to one year in county jail and fines up to $1,000 when careless driving leads to severe injury and death. Bicyclists in New Mexico can support the bill.
In Maryland, HB 363, provides a misdemeanor option for those who cause fatalities by driving in a criminally negligent manner. It raises punishment to 3 years in jail and $5,000 in fines. Maryland cyclists can support the bill here, and read more about it at Bike Maryland.
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