ALERT: Dangerous dogs injure 450 Missouri bicyclists annually; Your messages supporting Missouri Dangerous Dogs Bill needed by Mon Apr 5th

Dangerous dogs injure 450 people bicycling annually in Missouri, are the sixth-leading cause of cyclist injury, and cost $2.8 million in medical care and lost wages. Most of the most serious injuries are caused by loose, running dogs--not dog bites. 

Dogs love to run - but when they are allowed to chase people bicycling on a public road, it is not safe for the dogs or for the people bicycling. Your brief message to the Missouri House Committee will help them understand the importance of this this bill, which is narrowly targeted to close this loophole in current Missouri law

But a loophole in Missouri's current Dangerous Dogs law means that dogs that bite fall under the law--but dogs that run loose and cause a fall or injury are not considered as dangerous dogs.

If you bicycle, you know that loose dogs running and chasing--even running in front of your wheels--is a serious concern and very, very dangerous.

This year the Dangerous Dogs Bill, HB 992 sponsored by Rep. Jamie Burger of Benton, is focused like a laser on solving that problem.

HB 992 had a very positive hearing on Monday, March 29th. But before the bill is voted on in the Missouri House committee--most likely Monday, April 5th, at noon--it would help if the House Committee could hear from hundreds or thousands of people who bicycle in Missouri who would like to see dangerous dogs in Missouri controlled.

Here is how to submit your comments in support of HB 992:

• Submit your comments by emailing Committee Chair Lane Roberts and cc:ing HB 992 sponsor Jamie Burger. Please also cc: MoBikeFed.
  • Email list: Lane.Roberts@house.mo.gov, Jamie.Burger@house.mo.gov, director@mobikefed.org
• Write a brief, positive message letting Rep. Roberts and committee members know that you support HB 992. Include your own story of the danger caused by loose dogs, if you have one.  (More ideas for your message below.)

Sample Written Testimony in support of HB 992, the Missouri Dangerous Dogs bill

Keep in mind that a brief, positive message is best. Below are some ideas to include in your message--but pick and choose from them. You don't need to include them all.

• Chairman Roberts and Crime Prevention Committee Members,
   
• Briefly introduce yourself, explain who you are, where you live, and any organizations/businesses you represent or belong to.
   
• You might briefly explain why cycling is important to you and to your community or part of the state.
  

  People who bicycle on public roads in Missouri--both remote rural roads and roads in cities and towns--can be harassed and injured by dogs allowed to run loose. HB 992 will help address that situation.
  
   
• Say that you support HB 992 and that dangerous dogs are a serious safety problem for people who bicycle in Missouri. HB 992 will help address the issue that dogs that repeatedly run loose and cause people bicycling to crash, cannot be addressed under Missouri's current dangerous dogs statute.
   
• If a dog bites someone, the situation can be handled under the dangerous dogs statute.  But if the dog causes a person bicycling to crash--even causing very serious crashes on multiple occasions--the current law does not allow law enforcement officials to take needed action to solve the public safety issue.
   
• MoBikeFed's Legislative Fact Sheet in HB 992 is below.  You could include a particularly important statistic or data point in your letter.
   
• Remind the legislators that HB 992 is laser focused on just one goal: Changing Missouri's current dangerous dog statute so that it applies to all injuries caused by loose dogs, not only bite injuries.
   
• If you can, give personal examples or examples from your family, friends, or acquaintances that show what a serious problem dangerous and loose dogs are to people who bicycle in Missouri.

Testimony in favor of HB 992 will be helpful if submitted before the next committee hearing--currently scheduled for noon on Monday, April 5th, 2021.

MoBikeFed Legislative Fact Sheet for HB 992: Loose dogs causing injury (Rep. Burger)

Below is the information from MoBikeFed's Legislative Fact Sheet for HB 992.  If you prefer, you can download the Fact Sheet as a PDF file: 2021 Dangerous Dogs Bill, HB 992 - MoBikeFed Legislative Fact Sheet (pdf)

Dogs running out in front of bicyclists injure 450 Missourians annually—counting only those injuries serious enough to require an emergency room visit. This is one of the top six causes of injury to people who bicycle.

Missouri Representative Jamie Burger of Benton, in the Missouri bootheel, is HB 992 sponsor. HB 992 provides penalties for dog owners who let their dogs run loose to attack and injure people bicycling on public roads

Just the out-of-pocket medical costs for those emergency room visits total $1.4 million annually. Including time off work, follow-up medical bills, and other related costs we estimate the total cost of those injuries at $2.8 million annually.

An unfortunate loophole in current Missouri law means that owners of dogs that bite are held responsible, but if dogs cause injury in some other way, for example, by running loose in front of bicycle riders, the same law does not apply.

Non-bite dog injuries are actually more common among people who bicycle than bite injuries.

Non-bite dog injuries are actually more common among people who bicycle than bite injuries.  Because they generally involve a serious crash of some kind—whether hitting the dog or swerving to avoid it--non-bite dog injuries to people bicycling are, on average, more severe and more costly than dog bite injuries.

HB 992 closes the loophole by making dog owners responsible for injuries caused by their animals, whether by biting or any other way. We strongly support HB 992.

Loose dogs and bicycles—facts:

• Nationwide, dog-bicycle crashes and bites/attacks represent about 1% of bicycle crashes and injuries.
   
• Nationwide, all bicycle crashes and injuries cost Americans about $14 billion per year. So the 1% of all crashes/injuries resulting from dog/bicycle encounters represent about $140 million annually in injury costs nationwide.
   
• 49% of dog/bicycle injuries are bites, 51% are other causes—chased by a dog, hit a dog, swerved or tried to avoid a dog.
   
• The most severe injuries were among those who swerved/tried to avoid a dog, or hit a dog. Bites resulted in less serious and less costly injuries, on average.

Dangerous Dogs and Bicycles - Information Sources

Missouri emergency room visits:

• Injury MICA data from Missouri emergency rooms, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.  

Percentage of bicycling injuries related to dogs, percentage of injury due to bite vs other causes, relative cost of bite vs non-bite injuries:

• Injuries to Cyclists due to a Dog-Bicycle Interaction by RT Loder & AP Yaacoub AP. In Veterinary and Comparative Orthopaedics and Traumatology, 2018 May;31(3):170-175.  

Total cost of bicycle injuries nationwide:

• Estimated total costs from non-fatal and fatal bicycle crashes in the USA: 1997–2013 by  Thomas W Gaither, Thomas A Sanford, Mohannad A Awad, E Charles Osterberg, Gregory P Murphy, Bruce A Lawrence, Ted R Miller, Benjamin N Breyer.  In Injury Prevention, Volume 24, Issue 2.

 

Improving safety for all road users is one of the four major objectives in MoBikeFed's Vision of Bicycling and Walking in Missouri. Helping support passage of important safety bills like HB 992, the Dangerous Dogs Bill, is one way we work towards achieving that objective.

Your ongoing membership and generous financial support help make our Vision into reality!

Photo credits:

• Running with Beagles: John Holt on FlickR, license: CC BY 2.0
• Bicyclist on rural highway: MoBikeFed
• Jamie Burger: Missouri House of Representatives, official photo

File: 

2021 Dangerous Dogs Bill, HB 992 - MoBikeFed Legislative Fact Sheet, 1 April 2021