This story was provided by the Public News Network, and distributed to radio and tv outlets throughout CT.

HARTFORD, Conn. – It's a new law that underscores the need for local drivers to yield the right of way to those sharing Connecticut roads on bikes, using wheelchairs and on foot. 

Careless drivers injure hundreds of people in the state each year, says Kelly Kennedy, executive director of Bike Walk Connecticut. 

She says she hopes the new Vulnerable User law will get the state up to speed with neighboring states about the need to yield to non-motorized people who are sharing the road.

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By Patricia Gay on October 9, 2014 
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.

“The new law will achieve its purpose if it raises awareness of roadway safety,” said Ray Rauth, Bike Walk member, chairman of Weston’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee, and member of the state Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board.
READ the full story by Patricia Gay.

A new Connecticut law holds accountable careless drivers who injure or kill pedestrians or cyclists, a law created after a New Canaan teen’s car struck and killed a jogger in Norwalk.

The Vulnerable User Law, Public Act 14-31, went into effect on Oct. 1 and requires a fine to be imposed on careless 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 the full story.

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BY DANIELA BRIGHENTI, CONTRIBUTING REPORTER, Thursday, October 9, 2014

A new law seeking to protect cyclists and pedestrians from reckless drivers took effect in Connecticut last week.

The Vulnerable User Law, which introduces tougher penalties for serious traffic accidents between drivers and pedestrians, attempts to diminish the number of pedestrians and cyclists killed or injured on the state’s roads. Between 2006 and 2012, there were 10,000 such injuries and deaths.

The law, which was passed this May, is “very simple,” according to State Representative Roland Lamar. The law introduces a one thousand dollar fine to individuals in motorized vehicles who, in acting with improper care and caution, injure or kill a vulnerable user — in other words, pedestrians, highway workers, cyclists, skateboarders and those in wheelchairs, among others.
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From the Oct. 8 2014 Darien Times:

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.

“The new law will achieve its purpose if it raises awareness of roadway safety,” said Ray Rauth, Bike Walk member, chairman of Weston’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee, and member of the state Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board.
READ the full story.