Michigan lawmakers want to add more protections for cyclists, penalties to motorists that injure them
LANSING, Mich. (FOX 2) - Lawmakers want to add protections for people who ride bicycles in Michigan by amending the state's vehicle code to include more appropriate penalties against those who injure vulnerable users on the roadway.
Two pieces of legislation that passed the Michigan Senate this week seek to add more appropriate penalties in situations involving vehicles injuring cyclists, while adding more clarity on what counts as a cyclist.
The senate bills are tied to two pieces of legislation in the Michigan House. None of them would go into effect unless they all pass the Michigan legislature.
The legislation is meant to address penalties against motorists that run into cyclists that often lack the appropriate severity.
In 2016, nine people riding on bikes in Kalamazoo were hit by a truck, killing five of them and injuring the other four. Charles Pickett was charged with five counts of second-degree murder before a jury convicted him in 2018.
According to testimony from lawmakers, the charges are not the norm for drivers involved in accidents that kill or severely injure cyclists. The goal of SB 617 and SB 618 is to increase penalties to better protect vulnerable roadway users.
Under SB 617: Someone who commits a moving violation that ends in a serious injury to a vulnerable roadway user or individual driving agricultural equipment could get five years in prison.
Meanwhile, SB 618 defines a "vulnerable roadway user" as a pedestrian, or someone on roller skates, a nonmotorized scooter, a wheelchair, utilizing a horse, or someone riding a "vulnerable transportation device."
The reason why the legislation is tied to bills in the House is that both add further clarification to the proposed protections.
HB 5223 defines a "vulnerable transportation device" as any device that is powered by humans or electricity under one horsepower. That includes bicycles and electric bicycles.
Meanwhile, HB 5224 reduces the penalty for killing a vulnerable roadway user from 15 years to 10 years in prison, while adding a 15-year penalty to any motorist that kills someone operating farm equipment.