Following the murder of a cyclist recently, a North Little Rock man whose brother was killed while crossing the street begs for increased pedestrian and cycling safety

North Little Rock, Arkansas – Following a recent catastrophic bicycle crash, a North Little Rock man who lost his brother in an accident is advocating for more pedestrian and driver safety.

North Little Rock police responded to a call about a struck cyclist at the intersection of 19th Street and Pike Avenue on Monday at 9 p.m. The victim was already dead, according to the police when they arrived. Police are attempting to get in touch with his next of kin, thus his identity has not been made public.

A little more than a year ago, Frank Lorge lost his brother Mark Lorge when he was struck and killed while crossing the street. The newest event, according to him, is personal.

“It’s just a horrible situation when a pedestrian or a bicyclist, similar situation, gets killed on the road by an inattentive driver,” Lorge said. “Well, all drivers need to pay more attention than they do; even the best of drivers need to keep a better eye out.”

Talking on the phone while driving is one of the most common things Lorge observes. To lower the amount of collisions and pedestrian deaths, he advised that drivers should put away all electronic devices when operating a vehicle.

“The state needs to enhance the laws to make stiffer penalties on inattentive drivers, and the municipalities need to do the same,” Lorge said.

His goal is to improve legislation that mandates that when a car is implicated in a pedestrian death, authorities must examine the vehicle’s data recorder or black box.

“The police need to do that to check and clear situations like that and like this one,” Lorde said.

A black box captures a car’s speed, when the brakes are applied, when seatbelts are used, when airbags are deployed, and other data that could be helpful in the event of an accident, as per the Arkansas Motor Vehicle and Traffic Laws and State Highway Commission Regulations.

“We need everyone to be more aware and more attentive when they are driving,” Lorge said.

He asserted that it’s critical to understand the devastating effects that distracted driving and driving can have on numerous lives.