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Prince Georges County State's Attorney Glen Ivey went to Annapolis in March to petition for change to Maryland's vehicular manslaughter laws.
"One of the toughest parts of our jobs is having to explain to families why the killer in the car is going to be able to walk away, or in some cases drive away, with nothing more than traffic tickets," he said.
Shane Farthing, of the Washington Area Bicyclists Association, emphasized that drivers are handling potentially lethal machines.
"It is your responsibility," he said. "If you hit someone, the fact that you didn't see them is not an excuse."
Bike death prompts change to Md. driver laws - wtop.com
Seeded on Fri Sep 24, 2010 5:41 PM EDT
Article Source: wtop.com- Enjoy this article? Help vote it up the 'Vine.
- Public Discussion (5)
Announcing the Great Senate Bike A thon. Every Senator from every state will take part in a Bike-A-Thon on November 2nd 2010 all the way around the state capitol.
Please remember to drive safely!
- 1 vote
#1 - Fri Sep 24, 2010 6:12 PM EDTState law requires prosecutors prove gross negligence by drivers for an incident to be considered manslaughter, a nearly impossibly high standard to meet, Townsend said.
"It is your responsibility," he said. "If you hit someone, the fact that you didn't see them is not an excuse."
Heaven forbid you'd have to prove someone was negligent in such a tragedy before you can criminally convict them of manslaughter. What an outrage! (sarc)
I have a bike. The state that I moved to (from California) doesn't have bike lanes. I don't ride my bike here. I can't stand when victims go after the wrong segment. There are some dangerous people riding bicycles where they shouldn't be riding. Nobody gets behind the wheel of the car looking to hit a bicyclist. No bicyclist gets on a bike looking to be hit by a vehicle. Get on these state governments to create bike routes with all of the revenue they bilk from drivers already, AND THEN USE THEM.
Shane Farthing, of the Washington Area Bicyclists Association, emphasized that drivers are handling potentially lethal machines.
Show 'em who's boss of the beltway. Damn the reflective clothing or abiding by any laws yourself either. This is war on the lethal machine operators. (sarc)
- 1 vote
#2 - Fri Sep 24, 2010 6:16 PM EDTThere is a new law that starts Oct. 1, 2010 in Maryland that says cars have to stay 3' from cars. I bought jerseys to wear here: http://www.3feetplease.com/ so hopefully drivers will oblige.
Some drivers are not paying attention, but others do not want to share the road with bikers. We can't afford to put bike lanes on every street, but biking is healthier and better for the environment.
#3 - Fri Sep 24, 2010 6:22 PM EDTPGCares, unfortunately it only seems to come out in hostile terms, as if people purposely hit cyclists. While you've said that others do not want to share the road with bikers, I drive a pickup truck and it's dangerous enough for me with people who just aren't good drivers. Sometimes you find yourself caught between a rock and a hard place.
Every time that I've seen this discussion, it never mattered what the circumstances of the tragedy. The driver was at fault. This goes for accidents involving bicycles, motorcycles, or pedestrians. California had this law that allowed motorcycles to split traffic on the L.A. freeways for heaven's sake! Out of nowhere, after you cleared your peripheral and identified a spot to change lanes in snail's pace traffic, here comes a motorcycle at 10X the pace of traffic. I've talked to motorcycle riders who swore that that type of aggressive riding was safer...they got really emotional btw. But "watch for motorcycles" was the campaign.
The only way for this to work is for the cops to start enforcing laws with cyclists too. If they need to pull someone over on bicycle, or get them off of the road for improper riding attire or riding, then that's what needs to happen as well. How many times have you seen that?
- 1 vote
What is "improper riding attire"? You mean not wearing a helmet? That's illegal in most states and they can be cited for that. Yes, I think if a biker is doing something dangerous and illegal, they should be pulled over, too.
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