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Vulnerable Road User Committee Update

Consistent with its mission to advocate for improved conditions for walking and biking statewide, BWANH has convened a Vulnerable Road User (VRU) Committee to explore whether a VRU law is needed in New Hampshire.

VRU laws provide important legal protection to pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, and other persons who are not protected by steel cages. VRU laws are based on the principal that increased penalties for certain driver behaviors that result in the serious injury or death of certain road users will deter drivers from doing those behaviors around those users. A VRU law promotes public awareness of the threat posed by motor vehicles and the vulnerability of people outside of motor vehicles. VRU laws are in place in several states, including Vermont and Connecticut.

There have been two previous efforts in NH to pass a VRU law. The most recent effort was HB 425 in 2019, which was found to be “inexpedient to legislate” by the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, and before that was HB 1485 in 2014, which was referred to study by the same Committee. BWANH is not deterred by previous efforts failing, however. The VRU committee is determined to draft effective legal language through collaborations with legal experts, highway safety officials, and expert advocates from NH and other states where VRU laws have been passed.

The VRU Committee is currently in the research phase of this effort. Requests for data have been submitted to the Rockingham County Attorney’s Office and the NH Division of Motor Vehicles to inform the Committee about past crashes and the resulting outcomes or penalties, if any, that resulted. If this preliminary research determines that a VRU law is needed in NH, then the Committee will review successful laws in other states to use as guidance in drafting language for a NH law. It will work with legal and safety experts on the draft law and keep in mind the mind lessons learned from previous efforts. If it is determined that a VRU law is not needed in New Hampshire, the Committee will work on gathering and distributing information that will help keep Vulnerable Road Users safe and informed.

More information on VRU laws can be found here on the League of American Wheelmen website: https://bikeleague.org/content/model-vulnerable-road-user-law. If you have an interest in participating in BWA’s VRU Committee efforts, please email us at info@bwanh.org.

– Julie Chizmas, BWANH VRU Committee member