This letter from Brandon Neal letter appealing for justice in the recent Debra Miller crash near Stillwater appeared in this morning’s Oklahoman:
I’m a cyclist who is alive today for a number of reasons; among them are taking reasonable care on the road and good luck. This month, Debra Miller of Stillwater died — as did my friends Jim Socia and Michael Argall before her — killed by a driver who failed to notice her on the road. In the case of my friends, the drivers weren’t charged with a crime. I fear the driver in Miller’s case will likewise go uncharged. We can’t trust our district attorneys to prosecute these cases unless we make it clear that the case has priority above all the others that a DA’s office handles each month. All too often, we’re left with a dead friend or relative and the tacit endorsement of the sun as a mitigating circumstance, of alcohol or drugs as the only impairment worth pursuing, and that the death of a person in the road is not the responsibility of the person in control of or failing to control a vehicle. Prosecuting the driver in Miller’s case would provide a clear message to motorists that they’re responsible for everything that happens around them when behind the wheel. No distraction — sun, text messaging or anything else — is a viable excuse for ending someone’s life.
via Another cyclist dies on an Oklahoma road | NewsOK.com.
I’ve always thought of driving as something akin to gun ownership. It is a responsibility that must be taken seriously at all times and in all situations. I believe that much of the carnage that takes place on our roads today is due to the cavalier attitude we give towards transportation (and that includes cyclists as well). Moving at high speed is an endeavor with some risk and requires a high degree of responsibility. Legal recognition of this fact would go a long way towards making our roads the kind of place they need and should be.