Pickup Driver Who Ran Down Cyclists, Killing 2, Faces Max Of 1 Year In Jail

Arizona's Family

Back successful 2023, a driver successful a pickup motortruck plowed done a group of cyclists successful Arizona, sidesplitting 2 and injuring 11 more. Last week, that driver plead blameworthy successful tribunal — but only to reduced, misdemeanor charges. He's connected nan hook for $2,500 successful fines, 60 hours of organization service, and betwixt six months and 1 twelvemonth down bars. Two group are dead, others person had to relearn really to walk, and this is nan only penalty. 

The driver plead blameworthy to "Causing superior beingness wounded aliases decease by a moving violation," according to Arizona's Family, a vehicle-specific complaint that gives lesser penalties to those who injure aliases termination pinch cars than pinch different objects aliases weapons. Rather than 2 counts of manslaughter, which Arizona defines arsenic "Recklessly causing nan decease of different person" and carries a punishment of up to 21 years successful situation per charge, sidesplitting pinch a conveyance is seen arsenic overmuch much tolerable by nan powers that be. 

The morals of nan American penal system, a strategy incarcerates much group than immoderate different federation successful nan world and does truthful pinch private, for-profit prisons, is simply a abstracted taxable here. Whether this driver deserves situation is arsenic overmuch a mobility arsenic whether immoderate personification genuinely deserves prison, particularly erstwhile rehabilitative justness has shown to beryllium much effective successful stopping real-world crime, which is simply a statement acold beyond nan scope of our humble small car blog. What is wrong our purview, though, is nan ineligible thought that wounding aliases sidesplitting group is someway much okay erstwhile it's done pinch a conveyance than pinch a weapon aliases a fist. 

This driver is getting disconnected easy for nan deaths and injuries he caused. But he didn't constitute Arizona Revised Statutes Title 28 Section 672, Causing Serious Physical Injury aliases Death by a Moving Violation — nan problems tally deeper than 1 person's circumstantial tribunal case. Our ineligible strategy loves cars, it wants to protect drivers, and we'll support seeing cases for illustration this until things alteration connected a much basal level. Don't beryllium angry that 1 driver sewage a ray condemnation for moving down cyclists. Be angry that nan strategy bends to springiness drivers, arsenic a whole, lighter sentences.