Iowa Groups Ask Lawmakers to Consider Bicycle Liability Laws

November 26, 2007

  • November 26, 2007 at 1:41 am
    Patriot says:
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    YOu should see the idiots riding around this part of the world.. I have never figured why they think that a bicycle is bullet proof when trying to share an autobahn with ,,,autos and trucks! And they ride on back roads, around blind corners as if Jesus is riding with all of them.. And he does not always ride his bike with them!!!

  • November 26, 2007 at 1:53 am
    Iowan says:
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    This isn’t for your average everyday bike rider, RAGBRAI is an annual event where thousands of bike riders trek across the state of Iowa in a week. Each year, the path is different, but uses mainly county blacktops to avoid the majority of traffic. There have been a few deaths through the years and the counties don’t feel the tourism brought in via the event offsets the amount of money they may have to pay in such an instance.

  • November 26, 2007 at 1:53 am
    arrgghh says:
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    Indeed they are idiots. They are especially dangerous to motorcyclists.
    We should all encourage our lawmakers to introduce legislation banning all bicycles from the public roadways, confining them to only designated bike paths. They are way too much of a hazard on the highways.
    Failing a ban, there should be some mandatory insurance requirements.

  • November 26, 2007 at 2:18 am
    Mondo says:
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    Why stop at banning bicyclists from the roadways? Perhaps we can ’round them all up and put them in a camp. What with their spandex and gaudiness and fitness, it’s all too much to look at. Sometimes I have to wait a few seconds to get around them when I’m on some back country road somewhere. It’s so annoying.

  • November 26, 2007 at 2:22 am
    Curious says:
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    I agree with Mondo. Nothing worse than trailing after a spandexed behind on a bike in an area where you can’t safely pass them for some time.

  • November 26, 2007 at 2:33 am
    Lance says:
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    Curious? About what, your waist size? How many chins you have? The last time you saw your junk because your big belly was in the way? I figure as long as we are gonna stray off topic and talk about cyling apparel, may as well discuss how the ignorant (ie, fat, slovenly people) mock those who choose to stay in shape.

    I am on my bike 5 days a week, on both country roads and city roads. And it is rare that I can’t be safely passed… as long as you are driving safely. Try slowing down when passing and there usually isn’t a problem.

  • November 26, 2007 at 2:49 am
    KLS says:
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    Bike riders, like farmers on their tractors or horse-back riders are a fact of life if you’re going to drive on a rural or less-traveled road.

    Just because someone has the ability to go faster doesn’t mean they have more of a right to the road than someone else using it, does it?

    If someone is in such an urgent situation that they can’t be patient, maybe they should leave their house earlier? Their time crunch isn’t the fault of the bike rider. If they’re traveling 2-lane roads, there’s a reasonable expectation they’ll get behind someone slower than them at some point. It’s the hurried person’s responsibility to manage their travel time better… not the bike rider’s responsibility to stay out of their way.

    Granted, bikes don’t belong on 4 lane highways or the interstate but I can’t see why it’s a problem having them on back roads.

    I don’t know if I agree with the county paying a settlement to a bike rider’s family if the rider does something to off himself. Ride at your own risk.

    But I think the back roads are certainly big enough to share if everyone would just exercise some tolerance and patience. Not asking for the world here.

  • November 26, 2007 at 3:06 am
    Bob G says:
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    I live just one county south of Crawford county, Iowa. If I remember correctly, this accident was the result of a crack in the road that caused the cyclist to loose control (he wasn’t hit by a motor vehicle). Roads in this part of the country are made safe only for automobiles to travel over – period. With inadequate county budgets (farmers don’t like to pay taxes out here and they control much of our legislature) it would be cost prohibitive to make county roads “bike proof”. Crawford County chose to settle – who knows what would have happened if it went to court. We’ve had RAGBRAI go through our county in the past and if this had happened here, I know our commissioners would have been in favor of banning the bikes.

  • November 26, 2007 at 3:12 am
    lastbat says:
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    I loved the sarcasm from Curious and Co. Great stuff.

    I used to live in Portland, OR – long considered one of the most friendly places in the U.S. for cyclists. Cycling is a huge polarizing issue and all melts down to road courtesy.

    As for the annual event I think the event should carry insurance and indemnify the counties they pass through. It’s apparently well known these roads are not in the best condition for all types of bikes and to make the county pay for an accident occuring during a non-county sponsored event is a little ridiculous.

    Barring mandatory insurance during the event, I have to agree with the county.

  • November 27, 2007 at 8:31 am
    JB says:
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    The county can help mitigate it’s liability by doing the following:

    1. Only allow individuals 18 years of age or above to participant.
    2. Have a good solid waiver and release document signed by all riders (drafted by Iowa legal counsel). As far as I can tell, waivers are enforceable in Iowa.
    3. Confirm that the event director has a medical and safety plan in place for the event which includes emergency medical treatment/evacuation/traffic control.
    4. Make it mandatory that the event promoter carry general liability coverage that includes participant legal liability coverage (for riders bringing suit against the county for their injuries) that lists the county as an additional insured (talk to legal counsel about which form to require).
    5. Consider requiring the event promoter to carry auto and excess liability coverage.



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