Senate Bill 1472: Ryan’s Law Passed!
As of today, a bill that Streets Are For Everyone has worked tirelessly to support is now a reality in the state of California!
Ryan’s Law is set to take effect on January 1, 2023, and will give more tools to seek justice for deaths caused by speeding or hazardous driving. The law is named after Ryan Koeppel, an Encino teen who was killed by a street racer. It will add speeding (in excess of 100mph), street racing, and participating in a side show (any act that can lead to street racing, such as “donuts”) to the list of crimes that can be qualified as felony manslaughter if the action leads to someone being killed and gross negligence for those that result in injuries. This greatly increases the penalties for fatalities caused by these activities and forces CA to recognize the seriousness of these crimes!
Today, SAFE joined the California Highway Patrol, Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, The Conor Lynch Foundation, Street Racing Kills, the office of LA City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, Senator Stern, and the Koeppel family at a press conference to support Ryan’s Law and its role in reducing the lives lost to speeding and reckless driving.
Lili Trujillo-Puckett spoke about her daughter, Valentina, who was 16 when she was killed by an individual street racing.
Carin Koeppel, Ryan’s mother, said that “today is a victory in the fight to make California streets safer for everyone.” We agree, and are proud to support this piece of legislation.
“These events are not just casual traffic infractions. When they take somebody’s life, that’s murder. The law now says,” Senator Stern said.
This is not the only piece of legislation that SAFE will support into the new Year. Stay tuned for additional news….