A NEW “STUDY” FROM ODOT RAISES SOME QUESTIONS

Protecting The Rights Of Those Who Ride

Steve Magas is Ohio's Bike Lawyer. He has written about Ohio Bike Laws, bike crashes, bicycle advocacy and court cases for some 30 years. Soon we'll be adding a series of features about your favorite Ohio bike shops.

A NEW “STUDY” FROM ODOT RAISES SOME QUESTIONS

Tuesday 21 Jun 2011 by Steve Magas | 1 Comment

Well, here it is June 20, and I’ve been away from the Blog for FAR too long… a very busy Bike Month indeed!

ODOT, Ohio’s Department of Transportation, does a lot of statistical stuff, along with the Ohio Department of Public Safety – ODPS. ODOT had a Press Release about the dangers of cycling and walking the other day which is interesting. The key points:

– FORTY PERCENT of all Pedestrian & Cycling Crash incidents involve KIDS – Folks age 5-18!

– Between 2006 and 2010, more than 23,297 crashes were pedestrian and bicycle-related resulting in 552 fatalities and 20,478 injuries (3,699 serious injuries).

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MAY is NATIONAL MOTORCYCLE SAFETY AWARENESS MONTH

Tuesday 10 May 2011 by Steve Magas | 1 Comment

Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month

Motorcycle Safety Foundation Calls on all Motorists to
Improve Their Driving and Riding and Increase Safety

May 5, 2011

Irvine, CA – News release from Motorcycle Safety Foundation

May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month and the Motorcycle Safety Foundation is again calling on all motorists to improve their driving, improve their riding, make better decisions and increase safety for everyone on the road. The national organization dedicated to motorcyclist safety is leading a number of efforts to raise awareness, reduce injuries and save lives.

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2011 Study of ALL Ohio Fatal Bike Crashes

Tuesday 3 May 2011 by Steve Magas | 19 Comments

As regular readers know, I’ve been working on a report discussing each and every fatal bicycle crash in Ohio in 2010. As I am wandering through mountains of data, reams of paper, hundreds of photographs and more, some interesting information has been popping up which I thought I would share.

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New Summary of Ohio Bike Laws – on a Groovy New Card

Monday 18 Apr 2011 by Steve Magas | 13 Comments

I’m working on a new “card” – a 4×5 card that cyclists can carry with them. Sort of a colorful, calming piece of real “bike art” on one side and a summary of Ohio’s bike laws on the other… I picture you looking at the pretty picture to calm you down as you eloquently educate the police officer on the fact that you CAN ride two abreast on any road, at any time, in Ohio…

The artist, Talia Lampert, is a New York artist who does “Bike Paintings.” Gorgeous, colorful paintings of … well… real bikes. Not high-end $20,000 bikes made of the latest mode of unobtainium, but real people’s bikes. You can see her work here.

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UNDERSTANDING CYCLIST/MOTORIST TENSIONS

Wednesday 13 Apr 2011 by Steve Magas | 28 Comments

The Columbus Dispatch asked me to write 750 words for their op-ed page which ran online on April 14, 2011. Getting me to stick to 750 was tough… OK, impossible… but they ran my 800+ words anyway!

Here’s an expanded, and annotated, version of what I sent in… my views on why Cyclist/Motorist Tensions that have escalated in Columbus during and following the Ed Miller trial – the man accused of being drunk when he ran into, and killed, a well-known Columbus cyclist, ride leader and advocate, Steve Barbour. The trial recently ended in a mistrial as jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict.

Steve Magas, The Bike Lawyer

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CRIMINAL TRIAL OF ED MILLER – Accused of Killing Steve Barbour

Wednesday 30 Mar 2011 by Steve Magas | 3 Comments

In Columbus, Ohio the FIRST trial in the case of State v. Edward Miller has completed . Case Number 09CR4797 involves allegations that the defendant, Edward Miller, drove a motor vehicle while intoxicated and striking, and killing, cyclist Steve Barbour in the early morning hours of July 18, 2009. After several days of testimony, the jury was unable to reach a verdict and the judge declared a Mistrial. The case was set for a second trial starting June 20, 2011.

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“Criminalizing Negligence?” Why Not?

Saturday 26 Feb 2011 by Steve Magas | 9 Comments

In Tampa, FL, another rider was killed last week. In 2010, Tampa went through a stretch where nine cyclists were killed in four months! We had 10 cyclists killed throughout Ohio in 12 months in 2010. While Florida may have better weather, there are millions of cyclists in Ohio who ride from March or April through October-November. We have many large cycling clubs and several large, well-attended regional and national rides – so it’s not like Florida has 10 times the cycling traffic – but Florida has 10 times the number of cycling deaths as Ohio. So what’s going on down there?

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WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE NEW AD?

Friday 4 Feb 2011 by Steve Magas | 6 Comments

I’m putting a new “ad” into some publications. I thought I’d invite some comments on this one and see what folks thought!

Uncategorized

Why Follow The Rules?

Tuesday 1 Feb 2011 by Steve Magas | 8 Comments

Ten years ago? Was that in the Bicyclotonic Era? I’ve got SHOES that are ten… suits that are 20! Yet, consider this…

From D.C. comes an interesting post – the author makes a case for changing “the rules” for riding bikes, questioning why we need to follow the same rules as giant two ton behemoths. Unspecified “changes” need to be made to the rules. Bikes shouldn’t have to follow the same rules.

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CRIMINAL SENTENCING & BIKES – A Problem?

Sunday 23 Jan 2011 by Steve Magas | 4 Comments

MOTORCYCLE CRASHES & CRIMINAL SENTENCES

I’m not a criminal lawyer. I don’t do criminal cases and I must confess I don’t know criminal law the way I know the law relating to civil cases, insurance, and the like! So maybe this is why I STILL don’t get criminal sentencing sometimes…

It seems like we are ALWAYS hearing about motorists who kill or maim riders… and yet, there is no prosecution, or they receive very little punishment for their misdeeds. Readers frequently ask me “How Can This Happen?” Hit/run cases are EPIDEMIC today… yet, the penalties for hit/run drivers are very small compared to the impact of such actions on the families losing a loved one.

I read the first sentence of this January 12, 2011 online newspaper article, though, and my jaw hit the floor… “…A Canton woman involved in a fatal crash that killed a motorcyclist in June reported to the Stark County Jail on Monday to begin serving a 15-day jail term.…”

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Protecting The Rights Of Those Who Ride

Ten years ago? Was that in the Bicyclotonic Era? I’ve got SHOES that are ten… suits that are 20! Yet, consider this…

MOTORCYCLE CRASHES & CRIMINAL SENTENCES

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