Bike Forums - View Single Post - Bicyclist Killed in SoMD

07-16-09 | 11:18 AM

#10

ChipSeal

www.chipsea.blogspot.com

Joined: Mar 2007

Posts: 1,026

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From: South of Dallas, Texas

Bikes: Giant OCR C0 road

Quote:

Originally Posted by lambo_vt

How exactly would you prove a case of "distracted driving"?

A better, more enforcible law already on the books, would be "reckless driving". An example from Texas law:

Sec. 545.401. RECKLESS DRIVING.
(a) A person commits an offense if the person drives a vehicle in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property.

So that behavior is already a crime, but it is not enforced.

I attribute this to "autoism bias". Most of our society doesn't want to consider distracted driving a crime because they don't want to admit to their own reckless behavior. A "There but for the grace of God go I" syndrome.

We seek a hardware fix for a software problem. Crumple zones and anti-lock brakes instead of responsible behaviors. Moving crash hazards further from the roadway rather than expecting motorists to steer away from them. Putting rumble strips on the pavement rather than expecting and enforcing laws to maintain your presence within the lane.

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