The Board of Directors and the members of the Oklahoma Bicycling Coalition share the grief, sorrow, and anger felt by bicyclists all over the State of Oklahoma following the senseless deaths of Christa Voss and Matthew Edmonds.

The letter below (in a slightly different form) was sent to all Oklahoma District Attorneys in May during National Bicycle Month.

To:    All Oklahoma District Attorneys

On behalf of the thousands of bicyclists in Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Bicycling Coalition (OBC) wishes to thank you for your efforts to protect all users of our streets and roads.

Foremost, under Oklahoma law, bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as all road users. As drivers of vehicles, bicyclists have the duty to obey all traffic laws while riding. Similarly drivers of motorized vehicles must treat bicyclists the same as other vehicular users of the road.

Annually, the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety reports an average of 325 auto/bicycle accidents, which result in the death of approximately 6 bicyclists each year. National statistics suggest that motorists and bicyclists share the fault equally for many of these accidents.

The Oklahoma Bicycling Coalition requests that you fully and carefully investigate all accidents involving bicycles and automobiles. Please be aware of the laws of Oklahoma, and your community, as they apply to both motorists and bicyclists, and prosecute violators of those laws appropriately.

The vast majority of adult bicyclists are also licensed drivers. They know the traffic laws as well as any other driver. However, bicyclists are also aware of their vulnerability. It is unlikely a bicyclist will deliberately place themself in harms way. But when a motorist says, "I didn't see him" or "she came out of nowhere," they are probably telling the truth. Not because the bicyclist was irresponsible or erratic, but because motorists are not trained to look for smaller objects in their path.

Failure to "see" the bicyclist does not excuse motorists from failing to be attentive and in control of their vehicle at all times.

The Oklahoma Bicycling Coalition's mission statement is "Promoting bicycle access, safety, and education throughout Oklahoma." This means that we want to make the phrase "Share the Road" more than just another yellow sign on the roadside.

Through our efforts the OBC:   

• Offers League of American Bicyclists Traffic Skills classes for bicyclists, motorists, children, and law enforcement,   
• Is a  partner with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation implementing the Federally-funded Safe Routes to Schools initiative,
• Is working with the Oklahoma State Department of Education to create a bicycling and walking curriculum for K-8 school children, and,
• Is actively reaching out to the law enforcement community through informational letters written by an active-duty police officer, who serves as our Law Enforcement Committee chairman.

The OBC was instrumental in the passage of House Bill 2926 which established the statewide requirement for motorists to maintain a minimum three-foot clearance when passing bicyclists. Governor Henry signed the law May 6, 2006. This law [47 Okla. Stat. § 11-1208] applies to the entire state, including city and county streets and roads, even if no local ordinance exists.

The same bill also revised language instructing the bicyclist to ride only as far to the right as is safe, shifting the focus of state law away from position and on to safety - for both cyclist and motorist.

Sometimes being safe means moving further left, as the Oklahoma Drivers Manual states on page 11-2: "A bicyclist can ride in the full lane when . . . the lane is too narrow for both a car and a bicycle to safely share the lane. In this case, it is safest to let the bicycle take the full lane."

The Oklahoma Bicycling Coalition wishes to offer its services as consultants and friends of the court (Amicus Curiae) to provide insight as to how and why bicyclists ride as they do, safely and legally, on the roads of Oklahoma. Most of the OBC Board of Directors and many members are certified by the League of American Bicyclists as League Cycling Instructors (LCI) having completed over 40 hours of training. They are teachers, engineers, police officers, and parents. All are licensed drivers in the State of Oklahoma.

Sincerely,

The Board of Directors

Oklahoma Bicycling Coalition