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Delaware Governor signs Vulnerable Road Users Bill into law
Today Delaware Governor signed SB 269 into law. The bill, modeled after an Oregon law, enhances the penalty for drivers convicted of careless or inattentive drivers who cause serious physical injury to cyclists, pedestrians and other vulnerable road users. The new law includes sentencing guidelines such as:
- completion of a traffic safety course
- perform up to 100 hours of community service related to driver improvement and providing public education on traffic safety
- fines up to $550
- suspension of driving privileges
In response to the bill signing, League President Andy Clarke said “We’re excited that Delaware is becoming the third state in the nation to pass such a Vulnerable Road Users law that offers additional protection to cyclists and other non-motorized users of our shared roadways. It is this sort of leadership that has propelled them to 10th in our annual state rankings and garnered them a Bronze Level Bicycle Friendly State designation. We look forward to Delaware’s continued progressing in making their state a great place for bicyclists.”
If you live in Delaware please be sure to thank bill sponsors Senator Sokola and Representative Barbieri and co-sponsors Sen. Bunting and Reps. Bennett, Carson, Hudson, Jaques, Miro, Schooley, D. Short, Walls & Brady. Thanks also to Bike Delaware, Delaware Bicycle Council and Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia for their work in advocating for this law.
Jeff Peel
State and Local Advocacy Coordinator
Peel joined the League in March 2008 as a Program Specialist for the Bicycle Friendly Communities program. Peel has a BA in American Studies from the University of Southern Mississippi.
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August 12th, 2010 at 6:20 pm
Good job, I guess, but in keeping with my traditional concerns with laws that define punishment based on the class of victim rather than the act itself, I would have left off “vulnerable” and worded it thusly:
“… In addition to any other penalty imposed for an offense committed under this section, if the court determines that the commission of that offense contributed to the serious physical injury of ANY OTHER user of a public right-of-way, the court shall:…”
This would clearly benefit traditional classes of vulnerable users such as ourselves (who are more likely to be hurt in a crash), but would also ensure that any offense by a vehicle operator which led to serious physical injury of another person was covered regardless of whom is injured.
For example, the clown who is texting in his Ford Excursion and who rear-ends the family in a Prius or Smart for Two. Or, the crash I saw about a week ago where a four car chain collision was caused by a large utility truck failing to stop at a red light. That crash wrecked the three smaller motor vehicles and led to several people being examined in an ER for injury.
August 13th, 2010 at 11:11 am
[...] Delaware governor Jack Markell signs the state's vulnerable users law yesterday. Photo: WHYYYesterday brought a big victory for street safety and traffic justice in Delaware, as Governor Jack Markell signed into law SB 269, the state's own vulnerable users law. Jeff Peel, writing on the League of American Bicyclists blog, explains: [...]
August 13th, 2010 at 11:42 am
[...] Delaware governor Jack Markell signs the state's vulnerable users law yesterday. Photo: WHYYYesterday brought a big victory for street safety and traffic justice in Delaware, as Governor Jack Markell signed SB 269, the state's vulnerable users law. Jeff Peel, writing on the League of American Bicyclists blog, explains: [...]