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Another case of law enforcement not doing their job by not charging a bad driver with distracted driving that resulted in injuries to a cyclist.
Link: She should have been charged!
Link: She should have been charged!
Decorah bicyclist injured Tuesday in car accidentCan you provide a link to the news article?
Distracted driving or what ever the current equivalent is in Iowa. Right now the law is vague and hard to understand an interprite with out effort by law enforcement. Until it is made more clear and the job of law enforcement is made easier by a new law that makes it clear drivers will continue to not be held accountable for their bad decisions and behavior.What should she have been charged with?
I don't know. I do know that law enforcement can and have charge/charged and cite drivers for distracted driving.Is there a specific vehicle code violation that would apply?
Traffic charge has now been filed against motorist in car/bicycle accident
Posted: Mon, Oct 4, 2010 9:24 PM
A charge of "following too closely" has been filed against 55-year-old Sherri Heckstein of Decorah in the wake of an accident that injured a bicyclist last week.
50-year-old John Condon was riding his bike north on Locust Road around 4:00 p.m. last Tuesday. Heckstein of Decorah was driving her car north on Locust Road, when some items fell off the visor of the car, distracting her. When she struck Condon, he was thrown from his bike, landing ten feet away and suffering minor road rash and contusions on his left shoulder, left side and right calf.
Heckstein was not immediately ticketed in connection with the accident, but traffic charges were formally filed against her on Monday.
This was not an accident. An accident is unavoidable. This was easily avoidable. It was a collision, unintentional or otherwise but a collision none the less, NOT an accident.Accidents happen. It sucks, but not everything requires a charge. What punishment would have fit this? What law would have prevented it?
I can almost guarantee that the reason heckstein was charged is there was pressure put on law enforcement by cyclists. Who or what group of cyclists, I don't know. I do know the Iowa Bicycle Coalition has put pressure on law enforcement in the past to make sure justice is done as it should be. Did the IBC act on this incident? I do not know.According to this
decorahnews.com - Decorah news NOW! Decorah, Iowa | Traffic charge has now been filed against motorist in car/bicycle accident
on Monday she was charged with Following to Closely.
Yes: Iowa Bicycle CoalitionDo you have a local advocacy group?
I'd have to agree with you, myself included as both cyclist and motorist. As I have gotten back into riding I have become much more aware of the issues that face both cyclists and motorists sharing the road. I see a lot of cyclists do really dumb things and understand that they give us all a bad name. I have seen more than a few cyclists do really unpredictable things in traffic such as swerve to avoid pot holes. Just yesterday I overtook another cyclist on a busy two lane with almost no shoulder...he had the mirrors and the Yellow Safety Jersey but could not hold a line to save his life - he was wandering within about an 8 ft area and was completely unpredictable. He had no clue what to do when a car was pacing him and trying to pass. This guy belongs on a MUP - not the road!Well, I have yet to meet a perfect motorist or cyclist. That's an odd charge, and it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
For what it's worth, getting a ticket rarely changes behavior.