While hunting through all of the Google to find out more about the Seattle pedicab accident I came across the a very thoughtful Digg comment that Julie Perry put up.

Julie was injured in Fort Lauderdale Florida while she was a passenger on a pedicab.  They were crossing an arched bridge and struck from behind by a car while they were in the downward slope of the bridge.  In this downslope area, traffic coming from behind cannot see a small vehicle ahead of it.  When the forward vehicle is moving slower that vehicle approaching from behind it, there is little that can be done to avoid the accident.  Combine this with the slowed reactions of drunk drivers, speeding, and poor lighting, it is a difficult accident to avoid.

In Austin, we have seen similar, if not identical accidents.  New riders whom begin their careers renting equipment from one of the few larger fleet operators are all trained to not cross bridges on the roadway after dark.  They are instructed to use the sidewalks.  When riders do not follow this best practice, they are generally chastised by other riders, and often reported to the owners of their rental fleet they rent from.  There is no law requiring pedicab drivers to cross bridges on the sidewalk after dark.

-Ken Cameron

Julie’s comments were was originally posted here:

http://digg.com/travel_places/Man_Killed_In_Belltown_Seattle_Pedicab_Crash_NO_REGULATIONS

 This story is a tragedy. My heart goes out to Mr. Dzioba’s wife and family.

The video on the right side of this story (”Pedicabs Not Regulated”) points out that there are ZERO regulations concerning pedicabs in Belltown/Seattle, where this accident occurred:

- No driver or vehicle licensing
- No government safety inspections
- No insurance requirements
- No background checks for drivers
- No vehicle maintenance regulations

This is the same situation in many other cities that have approved the operation of pedicabs. I hope the City Managers in Seattle make some changes right away. Their apathy until now is unacceptable.

Why are pedicabs treated any differently than taxis and horse-drawn carriages!?

A friend of mine and I were victims of a hit-and-run pedicab accident this past New Year’s Eve in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and not only did the pedicab company owner not have insurance, but the city of Fort Lauderdale had very few, if any, safety and vehicle maintenance regulations in place at the time of our accident.

Yes, the hit-and-run driver (never found, by the way –– and NOT ONE LEAD came in despite the fact that our accident occurred in a crowded tourist area on a major holiday!) who hit us is most certainly the one to blame for my New Year’s Eve accident and my life-altering injuries. Yet, it should not be overlooked that the pedicab we were riding in was poorly lit and was driving over a narrow bridge (also poorly lit) up a hill with a blindspot at the time we were struck. I question whether pedicabs should even have been authorized to travel in that area in the first place. The city of Ft. Lauderdale, on the other hand, didn’t seem to mind much where these vehicles traveled…or how well they were lit…or whether the operators even held valid drivers licenses. (Shouldn’t they have to prove they know the rules of the road before they offer public transportation??)

It says in this report that Seattle does have one law in place: pedicab drivers and passengers must wear bike helmets. In this particular accident, they were not. Hmmm. I’m imagining that law is completely ignored all of the time.

Please take note that, as a result of my New Year’s Eve pedicab accident, I suffered a broken clavicle, a broken pelvis, and a skull fracture that resulted in brain trauma and nerve damage to my face, which has left me with right-side facial paralysis and hearing loss in my right ear. Had I been wearing a helmet that night, I would have been spared much of the pain and suffering I’ve endured the last eight months. Maybe I would still be able to smile a full smile, blink my right eye, and talk without a speech impediment. Perhaps Seattle should think about enforcing this one law it did have in place?

With fuel prices on the rise, there’s definitely a case to be made that pedicabs are a great alternative for transportation in big cities and tourist areas, but unless the passengers (and operators!) are kept safe and protected, the cons outweigh the pros.

On a postive note: The New York Pedicab Owner’s Association (NYCPOA) has been pushing for stricter pedicab regulations in the city of New York City for years and has recently taken its fight to a whole new level since learning of the details surrounding my accident in Fort Lauderdale. The NYCPOA is now working with a lobbyist to ensure that, at least in New York City, insurance coverage will be mandatory for all pedicab operators and that there will be standards for vehicle maintenance and operator qualifications as well. I have also heard from a few other pedicab business owners around the U.S. who are pushing to make their industry safer and more closely monitored in their own cities. (It has yet to be seen whether or not Fort Lauderdale makes changes.)

Meanwhile, whether such regulations would have made a difference in my or Mr. Dzioba’s accidents is something we’ll never know. I’ve struggled a lot these past eight months to accept the cards I’ve been dealt and to try and move forward even with so many unanswered questions regarding my accident. I realize there’s absolutely nothing I can do to change what happened. I do, however, have the ability to keep pushing for change: Whether it’s positive change regarding pedicab safety regulations in cities where they operate, or even just raising awareness about the prevalence of hit-and-run accidents in our society (which note: Mr. Dzioba’s accident was not), I would love to see something positive come out of these tragedies.

~Julie Perry