IMHO we do not need more laws, or stricter laws. The problem is a lack of enforcement, probably due to poor local prosecution. I think every jurisdiction in this country has "involuntary manslaughter" on their statutes. This charge can be, and has been, used in cases of vehicular deaths, as well as the charge of vehicular homicide. Involuntarily manslaughter is a convictable charge in the case of an accidental death caused by someone other than the deceased. It is not the responsibility of LEOs or prosecutors to make decisions based on possible jail overcrowding or overloaded dockets. Let the judge throw it out if he has the ballz. Public outcry carries a lot of weight. Motorcyclists are not the only ones that get injured or killed in careless accidental incidents.

 

Edit:

Never mind!

 

Shouldn't this kind of thing be in the political sub-forum where I can ignore it easier?

 

I apologize for the hijack.

'Nuff said.

 

While I am a new rider, and plan to actively support rider awareness through ABATE and other resources, I think that the clear cut cases of negligence that were mentioned, will lead to vehicular manslaughter and or feleony charges depending upon the outcome. It's the "not so clear" traffic accidents, which sometimes also lead to death or serious injury, that leave the correct punishment in a somewhat ambiguous state. People have crashes, for purely accidental reasons, and you don't need to be driving wrecklessly to kill a motorcyclist, so how do lump those people in with the other "unforgivable" drivers ?

Tickets should be mandatory, but the punishments have to take into consideration the mitigating circumstances, and the details and fault are sometimes hard to establish.

In any event, more needs to be done clearly, and thanks for the info on how to become part of the solution.....

 

Thank you, ClassKing.

 

In 1990 my son was riding his bike when an idiot in an SUV who admitted he was lost, and admitted that he had smoked a joint earlier, pulled out in front of him.

My son died.

The driver got a ticket for failure to yield the right of way..

Bottom line... bikes will get little respect from drivers or from the prosecutors that decide how to handle the case...

Be careful out there....

 

At this point right now, Not much can be expected to change in the world of traffic. Our country faces a big problem around many of it’s cities. Overcrowding on our roads. Im not sure why many cities don’t have more traffic cops but as it stands we don’t. In fact our city don’t even have designated officers working the streets. The problem is huge. Over a million accidents last year. 38,000 lost there lives. 4,500 bikers lost there lives. It’s not just with bikers. We have a problem on the roads today. People just don’t give a dam as long as it’s not them. I put more focus on the biker because I love to ride, but the fact is as many people pull out in front of my chevy duromax diesel as my motorcycle. I feel one is more aware of there surroundings when on a bike therefore we feel we’re being targeting or down right ignored.
At any rate it’s going to be up to us as motorcyclist to protect ourselves at this time. Hopefully ABATE and other organizations will create a greater awareness of motorcycle safety and laws to protect the biker. But until then, here’s a few rules I follow -
Drive the speed limit or five miles below if possible..
Don’t drive in peak traffic hours if possible.
Stay away from known congested roads.
NEVER and I mean NEVER trust another automobile.
Enter an intersection five miles below the speed limit and have right hand & foot on the breaks.
You can never have to many lights on your bike ,both front and back.
Always follow the two second rule at minimum in heavy traffic.
If an A*S Hole wants the road , LET HIM HAVE IT.
NEVER have a confrontation on a motorcycle. STOP ! Get off your bike, and then kick his ***.
Blinkers blinkers and blinkers.
Practice emergency stops in a safe place often.
NEVER drive under the influence PERIOD.
Always wear a dot certified helmet, full face best. ( How much do you love your face ?)
Ware protective clothing.
Make for d*m sure your insurance is adequate. At least 100,000 pip if you can get it and 100,000 uninsured motorist. Here’s a little bit if info many people don’t know. If you have auto insurance, and you have uninsured and or under insured coverage make sure its at least 100,000 because it will cover what your motorcycle insurance wont cover.
Always make sure your tires are in good condition and the proper air pressure.
NEVER multitask on your bike.
NEVER trust your mirrors.
Finely , Drive like your invisible and be as safe as possible.

 

I agree great post. Right on.

 

Without sorting through all the rest of this thread which I know will be more of the same, I'll give you the short, sweet, common sense answer.

The severity of the injuries has no bearing on the level of negligence of the driver. He either did see the guy or he didn't. How badly hurt the other driver is shouldn't have any impact on the level of "criminal" charges filed. Let's not forget, the cyclist was probably injured because of HIS choice of vehicle. By the reasoning being used here, we shouldthrow the book atpeople who drive SUV's or pick-up trucks when they crash into a Toyota Prius, just because the other guy chose to drive a less safe vehicle.