Bill > SB0217

This bill amends the Michigan vehicle code to enhance penalties for moving violations that cause injury or death to vulnerable roadway users, such as pedestrians, cyclists, and operators of agricultural implements. Specifically, the bill modifies the classification and maximum sentencing for certain traffic offenses by introducing new categories and adjusting existing penalty classes. Key changes include creating a new Class E felony for a moving violation causing serious injury to a vulnerable roadway user (with a maximum 5-year sentence), changing the penalty for a moving violation causing death to a vulnerable roadway user from a Class C to a Class D felony (reducing the maximum sentence from 15 to 10 years), and adding a new Class C felony for a moving violation causing death to an operator of an implement of husbandry (with a 15-year maximum sentence). The bill will take effect 90 days after enactment and is tied to the passage of a companion Senate Bill. These changes aim to provide more specific legal protections and consequences for traffic violations that seriously harm or kill vulnerable road users.