Groups Work to Make Bike Safety Laws Tougher

As retired Rear Adm. LeRoy Collins Jr. rode his bike from his Davis Islands home to the University of Tampa last July, he was hit by a car and died from his injuries.

Tampa Police investigated but weren’t able to prove that he was in the crosswalk at the time of the accident and the driver of the vehicle that struck Collins was never cited.

“These horrific accidents happen and there are very few charges,” said Mike Lasché, founder of the Florida Bike Association.

March is Bike Month in Florida, which has long led the nation in per capita bicyclist and pedestrian deaths. In the past year, about a dozen bicyclists in the Tampa Bay area have been killed. Biking advocates say local and state officials need to get serious about finding ways to reduce and eliminate biking-related fatalities.

Whether that means stronger penalties for drivers, redesigning intersections, designating more bike lanes — or some combination of the three — no one is certain.

Since 2009, the Florida Bike Association has worked with other organizations in Tallahassee to pass a “vulnerable user law,” legislation that would increase penalties for drivers who hurt or kill pedestrians or bicyclists. Oregon and Washington state have both passed similar laws.

“It’s meant to heighten the awareness of drivers,” Lasché said.

For example, a driver who seriously injures a rider might be fined $500 and spend a month in jail, Lasché said. While one who kills a biker might pay a $1,000 fine and spend 90 days in jail.

While in some cases drivers might be charged under existing law, say for manslaughter, Lasché said in reality that rarely happens.

Ed Collins, son of a bicyclist killed in Hyde Park, said he knows of no bicycle deaths where a citation was issued to the motorist.

“I think it’s just a lack of interest on the part of law enforcement,” he said.

Maj. John Newman, the Tampa Police Department’s unofficial liaison to the biking community and the commander of District 2, strongly disagrees with the notion that police don't care. Police Chief Jane Castor is an avid cyclist.

But Newman acknowledged that the region has a problem due to the large number of deaths.

The City of Tampa hasn't had any bicycle-related fatalities so far in 2011, but it had four last year, including Collins, police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said.

The most recent biking-related death in Hillsborough County happened Feb. 13, when veterinarian Robert Niedbalec, 52, was struck and killed in an eastbound bike lane near the University of South Florida's Riverfront Park.

The driver who struck Niedbalec, Cristina Perenzeula, has not been charged and the investigation is continuing. Hillsborough County detectives are asking for anyone who may have witnessed this crash or may have any additional information to please contact the sheriff's office at 813- 247-8200.

Newman said he and other officers try to educate bikers about how to bike safely. And he uses three large electronic signs to remind drivers to share the road and follow Florida’s law that they stay three feet away from bikes.

He said 20 officers in his district alone, which includes Seminole Heights, patrol at least occasionally on bikes. And they face the same dangers as anyone else.

Statistics underscore that Florida is consistently the most dangerous state for pedestrians and bikers. There were 118 bicyclist fatalities in 2008, and 99 in 2009, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

Nationally, in 2008, 11.1 percent of pedestrian fatalities and 17.4 percent of bicycle deaths occurred in Florida, while the state only has 6 percent of the country’s population.

Alan Snel, director of the South West Florida Bicycle United Dealers, and others in the biking community have adopted a “Ghost Bikes” program to commemorate those killed. Friends or family find an old bike, paint it white and install it near the scene of the accident. Some have a white board where people can leave messages, ribbons and other decorations.

So far there are four “Ghost Bikes” in Tampa. They commemorate Collins, Niedbalec, Diane Vega, and University of South Florida cancer researcher Kayoko "Kay" Ishizuka.

Finding a way to reduce the deaths is proving elusive.

Even a high profile death like his father’s hasn’t lit much of a fire for change, Collins said. His father was executive director of the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs. His grandfather was a former governor.

“What can you do?” Collins said. “I don’t really know. But there are a lot of things that need to be done.”

Advocates and law enforcement recommend readers visit www.floridabicycle.org for more safety information.

The Seminole Heights Bike Club’s “” is scheduled for April 2.