[Ct-nfb] FW: Pedestrian safety

Mon May 12 20:48:04 UTC 2014

From: Norton, Andrew [mailto:Andrew.Norton at ct.gov] 
Sent: Monday, May 12, 2014 4:41 PM
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Subject: Pedestrian safety

Hello all:

        I have reported to you in years past about a bill in the legislature
to protect pedestrians, bicyclists and others from inattentive, negligent
and dangerous motorists.  It had never passed before but this year it did.
It is called An Act Concerning the Penalty for Causing Harm to a Vulnerable
User of a Public Way.  Its lead supporter was Senator Beth Bye of West
Hartford. She is an avid bicyclist but her bill also includes pedestrians
who are blind in its protections.  In essence, the bill creates a fine of up
to a $1,000 for a motorist causing serious harm to a "vulnerable user" in a
public travel area such as a road.

        Below my signature is a link to the bill on the legislative website.
Below that is a copy of the bill itself in large print. Please feel to call
or write with any question you may have.

Andrew Norton

Legislative Liaison

Department of Rehabilitation Services (DORS)

(860) 602-4078

http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill
<http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&
bill_num=336&which_year=2014&SUBMIT1.x=11&SUBMIT1.y=16>
&bill_num=336&which_year=2014&SUBMIT1.x=11&SUBMIT1.y=16 

Senate Bill No. 336  Public Act No. 14-31

AN ACT CONCERNING THE PENALTY FOR CAUSING HARM TO A VULNERABLE USER OF A
PUBLIC WAY. 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly
convened: 

Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2014) 

(a) As used in subsection (b) of this section, (1) "vulnerable user" means:
(A) A pedestrian; (B) a highway worker; (C) a person riding or driving an
animal; (D) a person riding a bicycle; (E) a person using a skateboard,
roller skates or in-line skates; (F) a person operating or riding on an
agricultural tractor; (G) a person using a wheelchair or motorized chair;
and (H) a blind person and such person's service animal, and (2) "public
way" includes any state or other public highway, road, street, avenue,
alley, driveway, parkway or place, under the control of the state or any
political subdivision of the state, dedicated, appropriated or opened to
public travel or other use. 

(b) Any person operating a motor vehicle on a public way who fails to
exercise reasonable care and causes the serious physical injury or death of
a vulnerable user of a public way, provided such vulnerable user has shown
reasonable care in such user's use of the public way, shall be fined not
more than one thousand dollars.

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