As my clients know, I’m not just a bicycle advocate, and not just a pedestrian advocate, I am a safety advocate. And when we’re navigating the busy (and sometimesdangerous) streets of San Francisco, safety is much more important than whether we are walking, pedaling, or driving. I’m of the opinion that everyone needs to do their part to avoid collisions, avoid personal injuries, and generally keep one another safe and secure. In our community, we have rules for good reason, and we should all be following them.
Unsafe cyclists have been a recent target in the news, with many…
A Manteca woman has been charged in connection with a collision that killed a cyclist, according to an official announcement by the County of Contra Costa District Attorney’s office.
The District Attorney’s office charged Ms. Alyssa Densmore, a 26-year-old driver from Manteca, with one count of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter for a crash that killed a Danville bicycle rider last May.
According to police, Ms. Densmore was driving North on Crow Canyon Road on May 5th when she collided with Mr.George Kaufer, a 55-year-old cyclist, who died from his injuries shortly after the crash.
Although no further details about the…
I am pleased to report that on Monday, August 27th the California Assembly approved the new three-foot passing bill by a 54-24 vote after a heated and lengthy debate. The preceding try to pass this law was Senate Bill 910 which I discussed back in September 2011, and which was vetoed by Governor Brown. Hopefully, the reasons for his veto have been addressed in the new bill.
After this new pro-bicycle bill, otherwise known as Senate Bill 1464, becomes reconciled with matching State Senate bill, it will land back on the Governor’s desk for signature or veto. The California bicycle…
I was recently reminded that many California bicyclists are not well-versed in bike law. For example, many understand that a public entity would not be liable-that is, be responsible for personal injuries-to a person who participates in a hazardous recreational activity. (Govt. Code sec. 831.7(a).) Hazardous recreational activity is defined as bicycle racing or jumping, mountain biking and the like.
However, what most may not know is that the public entity can be liable if it fails to warn of a dangerous condition, if the damage or injury occurred when permission to participate was granted for a specific fee, or…
