Bicycling advocacy groups in Arizona are working to pass several bills related to bike safety. Arizona Public Radio’s Parker Olson reports.
The legislation is aimed at protecting cyclists on Arizona roadways. It includes requiring helmets for minors, increasing penalties for motorists involved in accidents with bikes, and cracking down on distracted driving. Republican State Representative Ethan Orr is sponsoring the bipartisan bill.
“I’m a cyclist and a Republican. To me it’s very personal and it’s very important because, as a cyclist, if a car just touches us we’re going to the hospital or we could die, but I don’t think most motorists understand the impact of those types of games,” Orr says.
Anthony Quintile is a board member for the Flagstaff Biking Organization. He believes distracted driving is one of the biggest hazards for cyclists.
“Texting and driving should be illegal. There’s statistics that show texting and driving leads to driving that’s worse than or similar to being drunk,” Quintile says.
Over the past few years only a handful of laws aimed at protecting cyclists have made it past House and Senate committees.
