Eight years ago today, Rachael Maney became the Director of Bike Law and helped co‑found the Bike Law Foundation, our non-profit arm. Today, we celebrate her success in transforming Bike Law from a national network of bicycle crash lawyers into a leading voice in bicycle advocacy and safety. When Rachael joined, Bike Law’s focus was…
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Rachael: 8 Years At Bike Law!
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Paul, My Brother, Rest in Peace.
If there’s one thing we know at Bike Law, it’s that behind every cycling fatality there’s grief and a longing for justice. And sometimes justice is just understanding what happened. Paul Rucker’s story reminds us of the importance of putting aside assumptions and finding the truth. Paul wasn’t perfect. None of us are. But his family…
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Kindergarteners Our Best Hope To End Distracted Driving?
Maine Lawmakers See Children, Teachers, and Schools as Necessary Partners to Addressing the Public Health Crisis on Our Roadways Are kindergarteners our best hope for ending distracted driving? Are teens more likely to be receptive to lessons about bicycle and pedestrian safety delivered by their teachers, mentors, and peers than their parents? Are schools the…
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“Blinding Sun” is Never an Excuse to Hit a Cyclist
How Public Safety Just Got Burned by the State of Maine’s Recent Plea Agreement Involving the Death of Bicyclist Carol Eckert In 2016, Dr. Carol Eckert was struck by a driver while she was riding her bicycle on a rural Maine roadway. According to media accounts of the crash, the driver who struck her with his…
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JURY AWARDS 4.5 MILLION FOR DEATH BY DISTRACTED DRIVING
Ann Groninger details the trial of the killer of cyclist Gene Rotberg. There is nothing good about losing a beloved husband, father and member of the community. Eugene (Gene) Rotberg will never be replaced; everyone who knew him has a hole in his or her heart because of Gene’s absence. Of course, the loss to…
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The Life Will Wants (And Deserves)
A 7 Year Old Gets It. I asked my 7 year old son, Will, to draw me a picture of each of these things: life with cars; life with electric cars; life with autonomous cars; they all looked the same. But the fourth picture- life in a modern, forward thinking, and environmentally, economically, and socially…
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Gears and Roving Across Iowa: A Bike Lawyer’s First RAGBRAI
We were somewhere around Denison on the edge of the corn fields when the Eurostyle Chamois Butter began to take hold. I remember saying something like “I feel a bit lightheaded, maybe we should stop at a watering station…” And suddenly there was a terrible roar all around us, and the road was full of…
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BL Director featured in Triathlete Magazine
Rachael shared her own crash experience, explained what to do after a crash, and sounded the alarm that distracted driving is the biggest threat to cyclists. October is a big month in the triathlon world, with the Kona Ironman World Championships on the 13th. So it is good news that Triathlete Magazine chose its October…
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Dutch Reach Coming to Illinois
Chicago has become one of the nation’s top cycling cities, but along with more has come an increase in dooring crashes. A Chicago news channel has covered the issue and interviewed attorney Brendan Kevenides, Bike Law’s legal resource in Illinois. Brendan explained the growing risk to cyclists and how the “Dutch Reach” can help. The…
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Technology Proves Unsafe Passing is the Norm
DATA SHOWS THAT EVERY TIME A CYCLIST GOES FOR A RIDE IN KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE, THEY EXPERIENCE AT LEAST ONE UNSAFE PASS ON THEIR RIDE. Drivers are coming within less than 1.5 feet of cyclists on the road in Knoxville with alarming regularity. Drivers are coming within less than two feet of cyclists on the road…
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Video Proves Harassment of Bicyclists
You may have already seen the video below. If you haven’t, please watch. On Tuesday, August 24th just before 7PM, Jeff McCord and approximately 20 other cyclists were stopped at the intersection of Karl Daly and Grants Mill Road in Irondale, Alabama, a town outside the city of Birmingham. As McCord waited for an ambulance…
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Biking While Black
In 2010, Richmond, California got lucky when Brooklyn born Najari Smith planted roots in the Bay Area city, quickly claiming a very important role in his new community. Having given more than 1,100 bikes to Richmond’s youth and community members in the last 6 years, Najari’s vision and mission to promote a bike-centric lifestyle has…
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Another Cyclist Killed, Another Shoddy Police Investigation
As the old, awful saying goes, if you want to get away with murder, kill a cyclist. Well, it looks like it’s happened again here in Georgia. On July 11, 2018, a very experienced rider and friend to many in the Rockdale County area, Albert “Ab” Roesel, was killed while out on a rural road…
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The Case for Strict Liability in Our Biking Laws
A Model for Bike Law Reform At sea a boat under power must give way to a more vulnerable craft. The law requires that a power driven vessel give way to a sailing vessel. A sail boat must give way to a craft engaged in fishing. These simple rules are consistent with the maxim that…
