At about this time every year the legislative session in California is winding down. The last day for the Governor to sign any bill this year is September 15, 2017. As the legislative year comes to an end I once again summarize several of the new laws that I believe are of most importance to our readers.
Gilroy, CA (April 17, 2017) – Motorcyclist Richard Martinez was killed in the late afternoon on Saturday, April 15th 2017, after colliding with another vehicle on Leavesley Road in Gilroy, California.
This week’s question comes from Rob in Foster City, who writes: “I was in SoMa last weekend, and got in a motorcycle crash. Coming home late at night on my motorcycle, when a van in the left lane beside me swerved into my lane nearly hitting me. I jammed on my brakes and hit the back of the van. The driver said he had no insurance. The van he was driving belonged to the company he worked for. I broke my wrist, and my bike is a wreck. What can I do?”
Motorcyclists often have a difficult time explaining why they ride to people who don’t ride.
“Driving in a car can be like watching the world go by on a TV screen,” Matt Gramly, one of the leading motorcycle accident attorneys in California, states. “The car itself is a barrier between you and the world outside, nothing touches you, and nothing invades your space. When you are on a bike you are alive, one with the road and world outside.”
Riding a motorcycle can be freeing; you feel the elements, have more freedom to maneuver and can go places larger vehicles can’t. Unfortunately, riding a motorcycle doesn’t offer you the same protections as a larger vehicle. For instance, if you slide on the road, it’s more likely that you’ll be thrown from your vehicle than be able to recover and continue on your way.
On the street and not enforcing the law that prohibits “responsible” motorcycle parking on sidewalks.
“And most of all” the Bill of Rights concludes, “we have the right to keep smiling, to keep the rubber side down, and keep on step ahead of the congestion that we help ease” writing when it comes to motorcycles parked on sidewalks, as long as pedestrian access isn’t blocked.
Two separate fatal accidents occurred in Northern California in a span of 12 hours.
A 23 year old man from Santa Rosa was killed in a trucking accident Tuesday night when his car was struck by a tanker loaded with gasoline on state Highway 128 in southern Mendocino County, according to the California Highway Patrol.
At the Dolan Law Firm we love our bikes. Whether cruiser or fixed gear, 500cc or scooter, we probably have someone in our office who rides it.
Our firm had a great weekend at the Laguna Seca. The race was awesome and a lot people entered to win the “Bone Bike.” You can check out the complete set of photos from our weekend on our Flickr page.
