05 Mar Cyclebar, Green Light, Better Together
Welcome to the Newsletter
Rana Law Group Newsletter
In this issue:
- Personal Milestone – CycleBar 100th Ride!
- I have a green light. I get to just go, right?
- Better Together – What is it?
Personal Milestone – CycleBar 100th Ride!
Not so fast. There are a couple of reasons you want to take it slow and proceed through an intersection cautiously, even though you may have a green light. With the rise of cell phones and distracted driving, it is no longer safe to assume green means go. A study from a few years ago found approximately 3,400 people lost their lives to distracted driving that year, with approximately 265,000 crashes with distracted drivers leading to injuries that year (Source: NHTSA). That is a staggering amount of deaths and injuries in a one year time period.
Besides fear of distracted driving, there is also a legal obligation to not proceed automatically when you get a green light. In Missouri, there is a legal duty to keep a careful lookout ahead and laterally when entering an intersection. This duty requires drivers to make careful observations to determine whether there is any cross traffic in or so near the intersection as to constitute an immediate danger. So while you may have a green light, if another vehicle is in the intersection, they may have a superior right of way, even if they ran a red light. Typically, this will set up a split liability/fault situation between the two drivers.
To be safe, drive the speed limit, quickly look both ways and then proceed through the intersection with caution.
Better Together – What is it?
“Better Together” is a nonprofit organization whose aim is to bring St. Louis City, St. Louis County and 90 municipalities under one government. They plan to put the measure on the statewide ballot in 2020. This organization is backed by the mega-donor Rex Sinquefield who previously used his finances in other elections and issues within the State of Missouri. Recently, Sinquefield supported eliminating the City earnings tax, which was defeated. As with my ballot review, I attempt to bring this information in a non-partisan way to highlight each position. There is a competing unification plan called ‘A Board of Freeholders’ that the Municipal League is putting together which would allow for a vote of just the citizens of the City and County. Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available. I created a blog post on my website with the pros and cons of the current proposal by “Better Together”.
Cardinals Baseball is Back!
It is almost opening day in St. Louis and Cardinals fever is back! While our Redbirds had a tough opening series in Milwaukee, remember, it is early. The National League Central division looks tough this year so plan on this one coming down to the wire. Let’s hope the Cardinals can start stringing some wins together and remain healthy. See you at the ballpark!
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.