The poll says 63 percent of young people acknowledge driving while using a cellphone, and 30 percent say they have sent text messages while driving.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/07/AR2011030704676.html
Another example of Maryland’s "fine" justice
From last December in the Washington Post
Description of the crash:
"He was driving an estimated 56 mph, nearly twice the speed limit, and said the child darted in front of his car. He slammed his brakes, skidded 40 feet and struck the 82-pound boy, who rolled over his hood. Junior, as Luis is called, is now a quadriplegic."
Description of the court outcome:
His department’s investigation concluded that if he had been driving 30 mph instead of 56, he could have stopped in time. The department also faulted Junior for trying to cross the road where he did.
"As soon as I saw him, he was at a full sprint," Cokinos told internal affairs investigators. "By the time I saw him, he ran that fast into the road."
Cokinos repeated the account in several interviews and said he spotted the child as he ran near the double yellow marking on the road.
He was issued two citations: speeding and negligent driving. He pleaded guilty to the former, and a judge found him not guilty of the latter, saying there was no evidence of errant driving beyond speed. Cokinos was fined $160, and he went forward with his career on the force.
Continue reading “Another example of Maryland’s "fine" justice”
Media Envy in DC
Better With Less Award
The Comptroller of Maryland is offering an honor, called the Better With Less award, will be given to one business or organization in each of Maryland’s 23 counties and Baltimore City.
https://www.marylandtaxes.com/comptroller/initiatives/BetterWithLess.asp
So I am thinking of Baltimore’s three new bike shops (more bikes being sold), Baltimore’s study that shows that bike lanes create more jobs per dollar spent then other transit projects, how much money leaves the local economy with car ownership, the price of gas rapidly heading for $4 a gallon… aw heck all the issues in my email tag line as well: – Global warming, increasing obesity rates, traffic congestion, dependence on foreign oil, leading causes of premature death and the economy… if only there was a common solution.
So when I think of better for less I think of bicycles but the ONE business or organization is so hard to pull out as so many have been involved. So I am thinking of Bike Maryland as they have not only been helpful in the city but also around the State, they are in a sense feeding a whole village by teaching individuals how to fish. The ultimate in better with less concept.
But in filling out the form seems to be a bit of a kludge, so I am asking for your help. Can someone take these ideas and others to form a coherent campaign?
Thanks,
Continue reading “Better With Less Award”
Please explain biased statements before investigation is finished
In this report, Arizona police officers "explain" a cycling fatality:
"Maricopa police spokeswoman LaTricia Woods said an investigation is ongoing but added that it appeared Meyerhoff, 27, failed to yield to oncoming traffic at the intersection."
How does one "fail to yield to oncoming traffic?" Was the cyclist: making a left turn, running a light, failed to stop at a stop sign for an oncoming left turning traffic? Or did left turning traffic fail to yield to the cyclist right-of-way? Most likely they can’t say as the "investigation is ongoing" but then how can they already fault the cyclist if they can’t say the circumstances?
Is making premature cyclist is at fault statements part of police officers training? I really have to wounder.
Continue reading “Please explain biased statements before investigation is finished”
Baltimore County budding inventors show off their projects
Necessity is the mother of invention.
"It was raining and I wanted to ride my bike," said Friends School fifth-grader Renee Audette, explaining how she came to invent "Dry With 2 Wheels," a combination of a bicycle, an umbrella and a shower curtain.
Renee, of Cedarcroft, is a student in Lisa Filer’s fifth-grade science class, which held its annual Inventors’ Fair March 8 on the Charles Street campus.
In hopes of riding in the rain, Renee affixed a black umbrella to the handlebars of her bike and a sheer shower curtain around the outside of the rim of the umbrella.
Why a shower curtain?
"It was the only material I could think of," she said March 4, coming out of her music class to show off her bike as other science students put the finishing touches on their inventions.
…
Continue reading “Baltimore County budding inventors show off their projects”
Alert: 4,800 People Join to End Maryland’s Reckless Driving Loophole
by Jess Leber
One state lawmaker calls Maryland’s lack of a vehicular manslaughter law “a cosmic absurdity.”
For grieving families and friends of vehicular manslaughter victims, the law is simply tragic.
Almost 5,000 people have joined Kenniss Henry, a Maryland mother who is still mourning her only child’s death last September, in calling on the Maryland legislature to revise the law. As it stands now, a criminally-reckless driver faces no more than a traffic violation for killing another human being. Even if the driver is flouting the speed limit. Or edging too close to a cyclist. As long as he is not drunk, he will likely not face criminal charges.
This week, Ms. Henry wrote a note to signers of the petition: “Thank you for all of your support. There are no words to express how much this means to me, and how much it would have meant to my daughter.” The support has really flowed, and a number of state legislators have noted the emails they’ve received from their constituents via Ms. Henry’s petition. The document at the bottom of this post shows just some of the personalized comments left by Maryland residents when they signed, expressing the many reasons why this law should be passed. Some have also seen loved ones killed or injured.
If you haven’t signed yet, you can add your name here.
Ms. Henry was among 21 people who testified for the bill at a committee hearing in February. Others who testified in its support included other victims’ relatives, a mayor, both state and private practice attorneys, regional cycling advocates from Maryland and DC, and a former state legislator who once sat on the very same committee. (Read more on Bike Maryland’s website).
Kenniss Henry is relative new to this fight. Adiva Sotzky, on the other hand, has been at it for six years, ever since a distracted driver killed her husband while he was on his motorcycle. Ms. Sotzky has been leading the charge and is very familiar with the ways previous versions of this bill have stagnated in the House of Delegates.
Both Ms. Henry and Ms. Sotzky say the hearing went extremely well, but that doesn’t necessarily mean much. For seven previous years, the bill has stagnated in the committee without ever even coming up for a vote.
The best thing to be done right now is to make sure Maryland’s House delegates have the chance to pass this important legislation. They have to do it before April, when this year’s session is already over.
If you live in Maryland, will you directly email or call House Speaker Michael Busch? Tell him you support H.B. 363 — the Vehicular Manslaughter Act — and want to make sure it gets out of committee this year for a full vote. Make sure you’ve signed the petition, then tell him you’ve already emailed your delegate about the bill.
Email: michael.busch@house.state.md.us
Phone: (410) 841-3800 or (301) 858-3800
As Kenniss Henry says: “I never really been involved in lobbying for legislation at this level—trying to move something from where it is to where it needs to be. I was very moved by the hearing, and I was honored to be a part of this group. …I have met advocates who lost family members as far back as seven years ago and I know that you agree, seven years is long enough.”
Sign the petition and—if you live in Maryland—make the phone call above.
Continue reading “Alert: 4,800 People Join to End Maryland’s Reckless Driving Loophole”
Quit Googling yourself and drive: About 20% of drivers using Web behind the wheel, study says
Forget texting and driving or talking on the phone and driving: Those extremely dangerous habits are old hat. The new worry, says a survey released by State Farm this week, is what the insurance company cleverly calls "webbing while driving."
That means looking up Web pages, following driving directions, reading and composing e-mails, checking Facebook, and twiddling with smart-phone apps — activities that require sustained concentration and multiple key presses.
Among the 912 smart-phone users State Farm surveyed, more than 19% of them "webbed" while driving, the company said. For those who prefer fractions, that’s one smart-phone-equipped driver out of every five.
"We are working to prevent crashes and save lives," Cindy Garretson, State Farm’s director of auto technology research, said in a statement. "This research takes us one step closer to understanding the driver distractions that affect everyone on our roadways."
As an insurance company, State Farm has an interest in minimizing accidents and damage payouts, but who can argue with minimizing hazardous driving?
…
Continue reading “Quit Googling yourself and drive: About 20% of drivers using Web behind the wheel, study says”
“Mad Men” Stars Have a New Product to Pitch: High-Speed Rail
U.S. PIRG has made two video to promote high speed rail, the Mad Men video is cute https://dc.streetsblog.org/2011/03/09/mad-men-stars-have-a-new-product-to-pitch-high-speed-rail/
Cyclists in support of Nathan, over a hundred strong
Gathering by the hospital where Nathan is still in a coma.
By Jeffery Marks on the BBC forum
Over 100 people attended the cyclists’ gathering and to pray for a speedy and full recovery for Nathan Krasnopoler. Nathan’s father spoke at the scene of the crash – Broadview Apts near Univ Pkwy and 39th street. Then our large group; including Nathan’s father, friends, and family; bicycled over to Johns Hopkins hospital, where Nathan who is still in a coma, is being treated. The family and others read a prayer and psalms for Nathan’s recovery. We then bicycled back to the crash site.
While I wish it were a happier occassion, I was encouraged by the large outpouring of support for Nathan. This included City Planners, Nate Evans city bicycle coordinator, advocates, Hopkins students, and professionals. I was thrilled by the many young people who came. These students and recent graduates are well educated and use their bicycles for transportation, physical fitness, and recreation.
Words and thoughts for Nathan’s healing.
Continue reading “Cyclists in support of Nathan, over a hundred strong”