| Jan 21 |
San Antonio car crash law would protect cyclists, pedestrians, ‘vulnerable road users’by Bruce Westbrook
Now some cities, such as Austin, are enacting the same law on a municipal basis. And San Antonio may get one, too. A city council committee voted unanimously this week to send a “safe passing” ordinance for “vulnerable road uses” to the full council for approval next month. Why is this vital? Because Texans are dying, and every bit helps. In 2008 alone, 50 Texans on bicycles were killed and 274 suffered incapacitating injuries in car-bicycle accidents. And every year, about 400 Texas pedestrians are killed by vehicles in car-pedestrian accidents. That may not have been enough motivation for Perry, but it’s motivation enough for San Antonio, where a horrendous crash in October killed a local couple riding a tandem bike on the shoulder of a road. A pickup truck speeding at 70 mph veered off the road and hit them. The state law would have required motorists to keep a “safe distance” from bicyclists and pedestrians at all times. The planned San Antonio ordinance also will protect wheelchair users, horseback riders, highway workers, tow-truck operators and persons driving motorcycles, mopeds, scooters and farm equipment. Some question whether such laws can do any good, since many reckless motorists are apt to strike slow-moving bicycles or pedestrians, anyway. But any law which shines a spotlight on a very real problem can help raise awareness of it. And besides, Texas’ existing laws do more to protect property owners from car-crash damage than people who are struck by cars. Sometimes drivers aren’t even charged after a fatal crash. Jim S. Adler & Associates emphatically supports safe-driving measures. And if you or a family member has been harmed by a driver’s negligence, let us help. Contact a bicycle accident lawyer or pedestrian accident lawyer via the free case review form on this Web page, or call us toll-free at 1-800-505-1414. Meanwhile, good luck to San Antonio and its efforts to protect citizens from heedless and dangerous drivers. Leave a Reply |
In increasingly urban Texas, bicyclists and pedestrians are increasingly endangered. Yet Gov. Rick Perry last year vetoed a bill — passed overwhelmingly by the Senate and House — which would have offered more protection to cyclists and walkers on or near our roads.