Media Coverage of VU Bill Continues

The passage of the Vulnerable User bill continues to get press coverage since the law took effect on October 1, 2014.  Bike Walk CT and its members endorsed the VU bill far more assertively this year to ensure its passage after being raised for the previous four years.  Thank you to all those media outlets that have been bringing the new law to the attention of the public.

• The Redding Pilot, New Connecticut Law Fines Careless Drivers (Oct 18 2014) reports:  A new Connecticut law holds accountable careless drivers who injure or kill pedestrians or cyclists.
  
  The Vulnerable User law, Public Act 14-31, went into effect on Oct. 1 and requires a fine to be imposed on reckless motor vehicle drivers who cause the death or serious injury of a pedestrian, cyclist, wheelchair user, or other “vulnerable users” who were using reasonable care. The fine is capped at $1,000.
  
  The law was advocated for by Bike Walk Connecticut, a statewide nonprofit group whose goal is to make Connecticut a better state for bicycling and walking. Read more.
  
  
• The Stratford Star, Vulnerable Road User Law In Effect (Oct 20, 2014) reports:  From 2006 to 2012, a total of 10,793 pedestrians and cyclists were killed or injured while using Connecticut roads, according to federal and state crash data registries. Now Connecticut has a law that helps hold accountable careless drivers who injure or kill pedestrians, cyclists and other non-motorized “vulnerable users” of the state’s roads.
  
  The Vulnerable User law, Public Act 14-31, was signed into law on May 16, 2014. It took effect on Oct. 1, 2014. Bike Walk Connecticut, the advocacy organization that works to make Connecticut a better place to bike and walk, pressed for the bill to be adopted this year.  Read more.