Understanding Cyclist/Motorist Tensions
Today Steve Magas posted an unabridged version of a forthcoming op-ed in the Columbus Dispatch. It’s an excellent read with lots of talking points for informing your non-cycling friends.
Why Are Cyclists Allowed On The Roads?
Do Cyclists, or Motorists, “Pay For” The Roads?
Why Aren’t Cyclists Licensed?
Are Cyclists Driving Recklessly?
How do we move forward?
The answers are here. Enjoy.
What a great article. Thanks, Keri, for posting the link.
This is a fascinating website. But some of the items posted are rather disturbing. For example, this one, about negligent car drivers in Florida and elsewhere in the USA:
http://ohiobikelawyer.com/uncategorized/2011/02/criminalizing-negligence-why-not/
It was quite a shocking article about car drivers who kill and routinely get off with a slap on the wrist. For example, six day’s community service for gross negligence that killed an innocent cyclist. Those exact same car drivers in Canada would have been subject to a sentence of life imprisonment.
Here are the penalties in Canada:
Dangerous driving: 5 years imprisonment.
Criminal negligence causing bodily harm: 10 years imprisonment.
Criminal negligence causing death: life imprisonment.
As described in the article, Florida law is… er… the only words I can think of to describe it are unsuitable for use in a public forum.
Yep. Traffic justice is a serious problem here.
I like this paragraph from Steve’s article:
“In many of these High Street crashes the motorist simply failed to “see” the cyclist. As I have written many times, this is not an excuse but an admission of liability. Judging by the actions of the downtown traffic cops in Columbus, motorists are being ticketed for these right of way violations.”
By this standard, Florida motorists are usually the guilty party in most bicycle and pedestrian crashes. It’s time our laws and enforcement made this a reality.
Kevin, thanks for pointing out how far advanced Canadian law is compared to the wild west show we have here in Florida. Maybe some day…
Keri
Thanks for posting! The Columbus Dispatch did print an abbreviated version of my piece today!
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/editorials/stories/2011/04/14/drivers-cyclists-will-need-to-learn-to-share-roads.html?sid=101
The piece on the webpage is longer, and annotated.
Steve Magas
The “cyclists don’t pay for roads” storyline particularly irritates me, too.
http://azbikelaw.org/blog/road-taxes/
Most people don’t take the time to understand where their taxes go;
we should make it our business to inform them.