Drivers who injure, kills cyclists should attend victim impact readings

Requiring drivers who are convicted of injuring or killing pedestrians or cyclists to attend the reading of victim impact statements could go a long way in emphasizing the serious nature of such an act, Toronto critical injury lawyer Patrick Brown tells Metro.

The article discusses Toronto city councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon’s bid to have council pass a motion calling on the province to firmly punish drivers convicted of injuring or killing vulnerable road users.

McMahon was hit by a vehicle while cycling in July 2014, Metro reports.

On track for record year

The publication says the city is on track for a record year in road fatalities with 21 pedestrians and three cyclists killed through June 17. That’s about three times the number of deaths recorded for the same period in 2014, says the report.

Brown, an avid cyclist and founding member of Cycle Toronto who was part of initiating and executing 2012’s Coroner’s Review on Cycling Deaths in Ontario, says drivers who kill or injure pedestrians and cyclists are often charged with minor road traffic offences, such as failing to yield or making an unsafe lane change.

“We are finding people were getting fined $85, at the most $500, but we see multiple $85 guilty pleas,” he tells Metro.

It’s akin to a “slap on the wrist” despite the fact that someone died, adds Brown, a partner with McLeish Orlando LLP.

Requiring convicted drivers to attend the reading of victim impact statements would mean a lot for families whose loved ones have died, says Brown.

“It’s devastating to them,” he says in Metro. “They feel that they have no sense of justice.”