Bill encouraging caution around pedestrians and bikes stalls in Senate

Thursday, March 13, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

Senate Transportation Chairman Bill O'Donnell, R-Las Vegas, said SB129 stems from the death of a child hit in a crosswalk by a motorist making a U-turn in Douglas County.

"It seems the attitude of the motoring public is that pedestrians ought to look out for us," he said. "This requires that we use due caution - that it's our responsibility to watch out for pedestrians."

Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, expressed concern, asking whether the bill was changing the legal responsibilities of drivers, pedestrians and bikers.

"If the pedestrian was jaywalking, does this then shift the liability to the driver of the vehicle?" he asked.

O'Donnell said that it "does in fact shift the burden ... It is our responsibility to avoid hitting the pedestrian."

Sen. Mark James, R-Las Vegas, said he has a problem with the bill because one part of it seems to impose that same responsibility on drivers to avoid people who are obviously drunk.

"If you get into a wreck with a drunk driver, is the drunk driver going to then say, 'Well, you should have avoided me,"' he said.

With O'Donnell's agreement, SB129 was removed from the general file of bills to be voted on Wednesday and placed on the Senate secretary's desk so those questions can be looked into.