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.
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.
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.…”
I am well into researching my Report on All Ohio Cycling Fatalities. Part of the report will be tracking any criminal cases arising from the crashes. THREE of them are set for trial in February, 2011!
How many cyclists died on Ohio’s roads in 2010? Well, that depends on which reports you look at.
My project to review every cycling death in Ohio is well under way, and I’ve already found a significant error in the numbers generated by the Ohio Department of Public Safety! Their report says cyclists were involved in 11 fatal crashes, but my research says 9 cyclists were killed. Get this… WE’RE BOTH RIGHT… read on to see why!
From Black Dog Pro Cycling comes this outstanding article on why every cyclist, but especially those who ride on the road regularly, should ride with a Garmin or other GPS device tracking their ride.
Riding Confidently, Legally, and Safely
Produced by the Ohio Department of Transportation; funded by FHWA/USDOT. Significant portions of the publication are reproduced with permission from Bicycling Street Smarts: Riding Confidently, Legally, and Safely, by John S. Allen, published by Rubel BikeMaps and copyright 1988, 2001 Rodale Inc.
This manual teaches safe bicycling techniques on public roads and streets, but only you can assure your own safety. Users of this manual assume full responsibility for their own actions and safety.
OHIO REVISED CODE — BICYCLE LAWS Read the rest of this entry »
As 2010 draws to an end I am announcing the beginning of an exciting new project. I have begun collecting the accident reports of every fatal bike crash in Ohio for 2010. My plan is to review these reports independently in order to figure out what happened and why in each case, to search for common themes, mistakes and problems and to provide a written summary of my findings. My hope is to have the report ready to release by May 1, the start of “Bike Month,” or by the Ride of Silence.
Remember these names – Dr. Steven Milo – Mark Hurlbert – Martin Erzinger. They are at the center of a huge controversy in a Colorado “bike” case which has resulted in an absolute travesty of justice. Read the rest of this entry »
Usually diamond-shaped and yellow, these “warning signs” caution drivers that the road is slippery when wet; there is an intersection ahead, the lanes narrow, or there may be bicyclists, farm animals, or wildlife on or near the roadway. Somehow cyclists are supposed to be comforted by the notion that Big Brother is “protecting” us by putting out a “warning” that we are nearby – as though we are a hazard to motorists, like deer leaping from the woods or kids darting out after a ball.
They might as well put up “Bikes Might Be In Your Way” signs… Read the rest of this entry »
On August 11, 2011 I was invited to speak at a government meeting… boring, eh? Not really. This was a meeting of the CACC – Connecting Active Communities Coalition. The CACC is a coalition [duh!] of several local communities which want to improve CYCLING jointly by adopting laws and policies which benefit cyclists, making roads safer and otherwise becoming more “Bike Friendly.”
There was concern within the group over the legal end of things and I was invited to provide some background into the history of “bike laws.” Little did they know they were getting The Full Monte – an hourlong dog & pony show complete Powerpoint, funny pictures, a history lesson, and “war stories” from some of my more notable cases. Read the rest of this entry »
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