Toolkit for Other States?

Question

Ian asked:  Are there bicycle law toolkits for law enforcement in other states? I live in Maryland and would love to get something like this to my local law enforcement officials.

Answer

Thanks, Ian.  I’ll take that as a compliment.

I am not aware of any similar resource for other states.  I am also not aware of a program like the Bicycle Law Enforcement Program that we are developing that goes into the details of the laws.  There is an excellent national training course for officers that is available, but since it is intended for all states, it does not cover the details of each states’ laws.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

Enhancing Bicycle Safety: Law Enforcement’s Role

This is a CD-ROM self-paced interactive training for all law enforcement officers. It includes seven content sections with videos and a final evaluation. Content includes: Why Law Enforcement; Understanding Bicycle Crashes; Applying Traffic Laws to Cyclists; Specific Laws for Cyclists; Enforcement Techniques; Crash Investigation and Reporting; and Review and Next Steps. Completion of the final evaluation prompts a certificate of completion and the achieved score. Based on their state-defined passing score, the learner may be eligible for in-service training hours. Estimated contact time for completing the training is approximately 2 hours. To request a copy, contact NHTSA’s Safety Countermeasures Division at 202-366-1739 or email Paula Bawer at paula.bawer@dot.gov.

Eventually, when we have completed the Program for Florida, we hope to adapt the materials to the laws of other states.  That’s a long way off though.  We have our hands full now with just Florida.