A new Connecticut law holds accountable careless drivers who injure or kill pedestrians or cyclists.
The Vulnerable User law, Public Act 14-31 went into effect on Oct. 1 and requires a fine to be imposed on reckless motor vehicle drivers who cause the death or serious injury of a pedestrian, cyclist, wheelchair user, or other “vulnerable users” who were using reasonable care. The fine is capped at $1,000.
The law was advocated for by Bike Walk Connecticut, a statewide nonprofit group whose goal is to make Connecticut a better state for bicycling and walking.
Careless drivers injure hundreds of people every year in Connecticut, according to Bike Walk, which notes that from 2006 to 2012, a total of 10,793 pedestrians and cyclists were killed or injured while using Connecticut roads.
But unless there is evidence of drug or alcohol use, or a hit-and-run, careless drivers are rarely held accountable for their actions, the group claims.
The new law requires a fine of up to $1,000 for infliction of serious physical injury or death to a vulnerable user when a person fails to operate due care when using a motor vehicle.
Vulnerable users include those operating just about anything that’s not motorized. They include pedestrians, highway workers, wheelchair users, people riding an animal or driving an animal-drawn vehicle, blind people and their service animals, and people who operate farm tractors, bicycles, scooters, roller or inline skates, and skateboards.
Jogger death
The law was inspired by the 2012 death of a jogger in Norwalk who was killed by a New Canaan teen who was using her cell phone while driving an SUV. The teen was charged with negligent homicide, but pleaded guilty to a lesser crime and received a suspended prison sentence.
Ray Rauth of Weston, a member o both Bike Walk and the state Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board, has mixed thoughts about the new law.
“I think it is a really good thing to require some responsibility from motorists. It is easy to kill someone and nothing would happen except for a traffic ticket. However, some people believe the law could be used as a plea bargain to offer a lesser offense to manslaughter and plea down,” he said.
An avid cyclist, Mr. Rauth says he encounters distracted drivers all the time, and they’re dangerous.
“The other day I was coming from the Norwalk River Valley Trail in Wilton on my bike and a woman passed me in her car by about six inches. I turned the corner and followed her and she was reading a document on the seat next to her. When I see someone who looks distracted, I get out of the way,” he said.
Many drivers may not be aware that there is a “three-foot passing law” in Connecticut that requires motorists to allow at least three feet of separation when overtaking and passing cyclists, Mr. Rauth said.