A big thanks to the more than 30 pedestrians and bicyclists who came to Olympia yesterday to share their stories. The most moving testimony came from Alice Hilbert, who was struck in a crosswalk on Rainier Avenue and was later discharged from the military because of the seriousness of her injuries. Although only a few people had a chance to speak because of time constraints, many followed with personal visits to their representatives after the hearing.

The good news is that the committee chair, Sen. Kline, chose only a few to speak because he felt the committee would pass the bill with ease. Now, the committee must take executive action in a separate session and vote to move the bill forward by next week.

The bill is now undergoing markup by legislative staff and other stakeholders. These tweaks are to help the legal process, and are much smaller than the difference between this year’s bill language and last year’s.

This brings us to the next challenge — only eight senators sit on the Judiciary Committee, and there are 41 more who haven’t yet seen the new bill but will vote on the Senate floor when the bill makes it there. So far 2,100 people have emailed to educate their senators on SB 5838. A lot of these folks are emailing people who already support the bill, so please spread the word to your friends from Pullman to Puyallup. Our voices need to be heard by every senator in every district.

If you haven’t yet, please use our online form to send a quick message or to share your personal story. Thanks for passing this along and keeping the momentum going.

This morning the Vulnerable User Bill, SB 5838, was heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee. It also happened that the Assault Weapons Bill was before the committee this morning, and related testimony occupied much of the schedule.

Turnout in support of SB 5838 was impressive, though only a few people had a chance to speak before the committee chair cut off testimony. So far, we are feeling cautiously optimistic about the bill moving successfully through the committee.

Have you let your senators know that you want them to support SB 5838? We’ve set up an online form to send a message encouraging your senator to support our Vulnerable User Bill, SB 5838. Please take a moment to contact them.

Thank you to everyone who has supported the bill so far. Your efforts are helping pave the way for passage of a Vulnerable User Bill in Washington. Look for another update late today from our team in Olympia on where we are and next steps.

Keep ‘em coming, folks!  The Vulnerable User Bill has many complexities, and we want to be very clear about what we’re trying to accomplish and why.  We also want to make sure our legislators are well-educated about this bill and confident that the answer is YEA when it’s time to vote.

We’ve received innumerable questions about the Vulnerable User Bill, especially after our recent call to action. This is a complex issue, and we’ve tweaked the bill language with help from prosecutors, defenders and other stakeholders.  You can read a printable summary here.

Thank you to the 2,500 people (as of 2/11) who have contacted their senators so far!  If you or your friends are wondering about the details, here are a few of the most common questions we’ve been asked:

Don’t we have enough laws?

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On the morning of February 4, 2009, word spread quickly that a cyclist had been struck and killed in Ballard. At the office, we fanned out to find out what happened and to whom. These are the messages we dread receiving more than any other.

We learned that Kevin Black was bicycling to work at the University of Washington when a driver attempted an illegal U-turn in front of him.  Kevin tried to maneuver around the large delivery van but was trapped underneath it and killed.  The police cited the driver with a mere traffic ticket, nothing more.

Coincidentally that same morning in Olympia, we introduced a Vulnerable User Bill in the state senate to address cases where sober drivers still make deadly decisions, cases just like Kevin’s. Sadly, the 2009 bill failed to get out of committee and never made it to a full vote.

It’s one year later, and we’re back working in to get the Vulnerable User Bill, SB 5838, passed and made into law.

How can we get drivers to use more care on the road? How do we find justice for Kevin and Michele Black and their two daughters?

There are three things you can do to make a difference.

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