Maryland's House Judiciary Committee has failed to get a vehicular manslaughter bill out of committee for the last 6 years. Once again, Maryland Delegate Luiz Simmons is pushing to toughen the state's laws, but even on the 7th attempt, he says he's not sure what the outcome will be. Still, he's pushing HB 363 which would make vehicular manslaughter a criminal offense with a possible 3 year jail term and $5,000 fine. It would still be a misdemeanor.
The quote in the above headline comes from Delegate Simmons. You can find more on the air at WTOP News 103.5 fm and you can read a story based on what I filed on WTOP.COM.
But here's some of the audio from witnesses in their own words.
I agree that something more should be done. Studies show that jail sentences is not a deterrent for others, though. I'm a biker and don't want to get hit. What about the $5,000 fine and 500 hours of community service over a 3-5 yrs. period cleaning up the highways while wearing a t-shirt that warns people about watching out for pedestrians and bikers or something like that? Educating the public would do more than jail time, which the public pays for. If they don't do the educational community service, then they could get jail. Do you think the committee would go for that?
ReplyDeleteI'll let you pose the question and see what others think..
ReplyDelete