Gary Brustin and cycling law

Gary Brustin spoke last Thursday about Bicycling and the Law, and I have to say it was a really great talk. I personally learned a lot, and I took some notes to share with folks who couldn’t make it (make sure to come next time!).

This post is pretty list happy, that is how I take notes.

<p>The first portion concerned common accident scenarios. Gary had interesting stories to go along with each of these, and used his lawyer-drawing skills to show us how these all worked out:</p>

<ul>
<li>Left turns (where the motorist is oncoming traffic)</li>
<li>Right turns (the motorist turns in front of the cyclist)</li>
<li>Car doors (opening a car door in the path of a cyclist, and not just from the right side, either)</li>
<li>Side-swipe</li>
<li>Road rage</li>
<li>Dogs (“Man’s best friend, cyclists’ worst enemy”)</li>
</ul>

<p>Gary made a note of how motorist responses to these types of accidents converge to create an idea of how motorists view cyclists. Here are some paraphrased views that explain the above scenarios:</p>

<ul>
<li>“I never saw the cyclist.”</li>
<li>“I didn’t hear the cyclist.”</li>
<li>“I didn’t realize how fast they were.”</li>
<li>“They were going too fast.”</li>
<li>“They should have been walking their bike.”</li>
<li>“They should only ride where there are bike lanes, and stick to them.”</li>
</ul>

<p>These perceptions of cycling explains why advocacy is so important, not only to enhance our rights as road users, but also to preserve them. A couple things Gary mentioned was the <a href="https://bikesiliconvalley.org/content/467">Commuter Benefit</a> and the <a href="https://bikesiliconvalley.org/content/450">Complete Streets Act</a>. There are advocacy organizations at all levels of involvement, including the national (<a href="http://www.bikeleague.org/">League of American Bicyclists</a>), state (<a href="http://www.calbike.org/">California Bicycle Coalition</a>), and of course local (<a href="https://bikesiliconvalley.org/">Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition</a>).</p>

<p>There were a few other items that he went over, such as always carrying emergency contact information on you in a place that would be easy for a person to find, cooperate with the authorities, and if you are unfortunate to be in an accident to get witness information. And don’t forget to take photos!</p>

<p>The turnout was great, and there was a extensive Q&A session afterwards. I am sure everyone left feeling a little more informed about the law and cycling. And remember, as a cyclist be a goodwill ambassador. ^_^</p>