Cars, Bikes, and Criminal Penalties

 Two trials from southern California this month highlight the dangers of bicycle riding on California's crowded roads and the consequences for motorists who injure or kill bicyclists.

One incident, from 2008, involved Christopher Thompson, a doctor from the wealthy Los Angeles enclave of Brentwood. While driving to work on Mandeville Canyon Road, Thompson apparently became angry at a group of bicyclists, pulled his car ahead of them and then slammed on his breaks, causing serious injuries to two of the riders. Thompson claimed that the cyclists were making it hard for him to pass and making obscene gestures toward him, and he was stopping merely to get a photograph as evidence. The jury nonetheless found him guilty of assault with a deadly weapon and mayhem, and the judge sentenced him to five years in prison.

The other incident, from 2009 in San Diego County, involved a man who was driving his BMW in a bike lane and hit and killed a cyclist. Since the driver claimed to have never seen the cyclist and wasn't under the influence of drugs or alcohol, he was found to be merely negligent, meaning he was inattentive and careless rather than reckless or willfully hurtful. His conviction of misdemeanor manslaughter comes with three years probation, fines of $700, and mandated community service of 100 hours.

Both cases draw attention to the need for more bike lanes throughout the state and improved education of drivers of the need to share the road with cyclists. Bicyclists must also be aware of the need to obey all traffic laws. As California's roads become more congested, and more people take to riding their bikes to improve their health and save on transportation costs, we have to figure out how these two modes of transportation can coexist.