Online Petition Launched Demanding Tougher Sanctions for Motorists Who Hit Bikers

LAS VEGAS – Following a recent hit-and-run accident in North Las Vegas, one guy started an online petition calling for stiffer sanctions for people who hit motorcyclists.

Josh Talpas is a war veteran and long-time motorbike rider who decided to stop riding on valley streets last year.

“You can be as defensive as you want; you’re always searching for a driver to pull out in front of you,” North Las Vegas resident Talpas explained. “But you only have a split second, and you don’t always have that reaction time.” If someone is going to drive out in front of you, there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Talpas started a Change.org petition to draw attention to this problem. He had approximately 1,600 signatures as of Saturday, December 3.

Talpas has stated that he wants stiffer sanctions for individuals who hit motorcyclists.

“Seeing so many people die, especially here in Vegas, especially in an automobile versus motorbike accidents.” “It feels like once a week,” Talpas observed.

To Talpas’ point, North Las Vegas Police confirmed on Wednesday that a moped with two occupants was rear-ended at the junction of Belmont Street and East Dillon Avenue.

According to authorities, neither rider was wearing a helmet, and a lady rider in her 40s was confirmed dead at the site.

Investigators in North Las Vegas have appealed for the public’s assistance in locating a pick-up truck that may have rear-ended the moped.

Motorcycle riders are 28 times more likely to die in a crash than car drivers, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

According to the most recent data from the organization Zero Fatalities, 38 people died in motorbike accidents in 2020.

A novice motorcycle riding course is available at the College of Southern Nevada. One of the instructors is Laurie Sanders.

“Whether it’s a car or a motorcycle, many of the crashes that occur are the result of someone’s poor decision, poor choice,” Sanders explained.

She has worked at CSN for 25 years as a motorbike safety specialist. The course consists of five hours of online instruction and two days of riding and meeting.

Sanders claims that motorcycle riders are taught practices that reduce, rather than eliminate, their odds of being involved in a crash.

“How many times have you been stopped on your way to work?” “Was the road closed because someone else made a bad decision?” Sanders explained.

She went on to say that bikers may protect themselves by wearing helmets and that cars should slow down.

Credits: 8 News Now