‘It’s very emotional’: Man honors wife killed in bike lane as road safety bill signed into law

Daniel Langenkamp went to Annapolis on Thursday, and from inside the Maryland State House, he texted a reporter: “I vowed to do something to make our roads safer so people like Sarah didn’t have to die.”

In an interview, Langenkamp called witnessing Gov. Wes Moore (D) sign the Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Memorial Act into law “very emotional,” and said the governor shook his hand before presenting him with the pen he had used to sign off on the bill.

Langenkamp’s wife, Sarah, was killed in August of 2022 while riding her bike along River Road in Bethesda. The driver of a flatbed truck hit her while turning right into a parking lot, as she was in a bike lane.

Langenkamp worked since the day after Sarah was killed to pass a bill that would increase penalties for drivers who hit cyclists on the shoulder or in bike lanes. Under the bill just signed by the governor, a driver who strikes a cyclist in a bike lane could face up to $2,000 in fines and two months in jail.

The support that the bill got in Annapolis during the latest General Assembly session was gratifying for Langenkamp.

“To see it fly through like it did, with unanimous consent, means that people really do believe in making our roads safer,” he said.

Drivers sometimes complain that it is difficult to see cyclists approach their right side in bike lanes — but Langenkamp urges drivers to pay attention to those bicyclists.

“You know when you cross a sidewalk going into a parking garage, you look for pedestrians, you need to be careful. It’s the same with a bike lane. You just have to be as sensitized, as attuned, to the people who might be there on the right side of your car,” he said.

The Langenkamps served as diplomats and have lived around the world, including in countries famous for their cycling culture. He was asked if he still bikes as much as he and his late wife used to.

“I actually do,” he said. “In fact, I think I bike more, because it’s so important for us to have lifestyles that allow for biking and walking, I really believe that.”

Moore will hold a final bill signing ceremony on May 16.

As part of Maryland Matters’ content sharing agreement with WTOP, we feature this article from Kate Ryan. Click here for the WTOP News website.

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