BOULDER (KOAA) — Next month will mark two years since Michael and Jill White lost their son, Magnus, while he was cycling in Boulder, as the couple continues their fight for changes.
The Whites founded the nonprofit "The White Line" in honor of Magnus. The purpose of the organization is to honor his legacy by making roads safe for cyclists and pedestrians.
Raised in Boulder, Magnus was a young cycling star representing the United States on the Junior Men's National Team. He was hit and killed by a motorist in July of 2023, that driver was sentenced earlier this month to four years in prison for vehicular homicide. Magnus was 17 years old.
Before the sentencing, Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse joined the Whites to reintroduce the "Magnus White Cyclist Safety Act." According to Neguse's office, the bill expands on current minimum performance standards to ensure Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) systems that detect pedestrians, also include the detection of bicycles and motorcycles.
“Our son Magnus was doing everything right. He was a champion cyclist, riding in a safe, wide bike lane, and he never stood a chance,” said Michael White, Magnus’ Dad and co-founder, The White Line Foundation. “Since his death, I’ve met too many families living the same nightmare of sudden loss. What’s even harder is knowing that so many of these crashes could have been prevented. I’ve seen this lifesaving tech in action. Automatic Emergency Braking works. It can protect road crews, first responders, motorcyclists, kids walking to school, people in wheelchairs—anyone without a car’s armor. And it could have saved our son. The Magnus White Cyclist Safety Act will ensure this technology becomes standard, not optional.”
Neguse's office notes that in 2021, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law established a rule requiring AEB systems on all vehicles. Last year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) finalized the mandate to make these systems standard on all passenger cars and light trucks by September 2029. The Magnus White Cyclist Safety Act builds upon both provisions to ensure AEB systems also detect both bicycles and motorcycles.
The Whites also pushed for changes at the state level this past legislative session as they supported SB25-281, "Increase Penalties Careless Driving." The way the bill was originally written, it would have changed the crime of careless driving resulting in death from a misdemeanor to a felony, required chemical testing for the driver at a crash scene involving the death of a vulnerable road user, such as a pedestrian or cyclist, and adjust penalties for persons convicted of careless driving to make each individual seriously injured or killed in a careless driving event a separate violation.
"Magnus’ death was not an accident, it was a crime," a statement from the White family reads. "On July 29th, 2023, the driver made a series of choices. She stayed up all night. She took prescription drugs. She drank half a bottle of whiskey well into the next morning. And then she got behind the wheel of her car. Video footage seized from the driver’s phone from the morning of the crash shows the driver drinking whiskey at 6 a.m., with visible lines of cocaine nearby. Text messages that morning reveal she was seeking more cocaine, presumably to 'wake herself up.' Despite this, the court barred the jury from hearing any evidence about cocaine use. At the scene, the driver blamed her car. She continued to lie for months, to police and to investigators, about her drinking, her prescriptions, and what happened that morning. That pattern of deception continued into the trial when it was revealed she lied about being a Ukrainian Refugee."
The final version of the SB25-281 did not include changing the crime of careless driving resulting in death to a felony, nor did it include the requirement of chemical testing for the driver at a crash scene involving the death of a vulnerable road user.
"Not a single officer requested a sobriety test or a blood draw," the statement from the White family about the woman who killed their son continues. "They took the driver’s word. Critical evidence was lost forever. The driver was never drug tested, but Magnus was."
SB25-281 was signed into law June 2.
"SB25-281 was a learning experience and a first step in the right direction," Jacqueline Claudia, the Executive Director for the White Line, wrote to News5. "While the final version of the bill was significantly narrowed from what we initially hoped for, we’re proud that we were able to introduce the issue and begin the legislative process. It’s a foundation we can build on. We’re grateful to the sponsors and legislators who supported it, and we look forward to working with them next session to pass stronger, life-saving measures for vulnerable road users."
The White family says they will continue pushing for changes to protect cyclists in honor of Magnus.
"This was our first year through the legislative process," Michael White explained after the sentencing. "We were doing this through all of our grief and unknowns. We learned quickly how politics actually work, and we didn't like the way it was done, so we have different ideas of how we can do this, and do it differently. This is happening too often, way too long, there is urgency here, the more we wait, the more lives, the more people are killed."
You can learn more about the White Line by clicking here.
"White fell in love with cycling at an early age through Boulder Junior Cycling," USA Cycling wrote of Magnus. "He was a rising star in the off-road cycling scene and his passion for cycling was evident through his racing and camaraderie with his teammates and local community. He won the 2021 Junior 17-18 Cyclocross National Championships, then went on to compete with the USA Cycling National Team for a full season of European Cyclocross racing and closed out the year at the 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Championship in Fayetteville, Arkansas. He proudly represented the U.S. and the Boulder community at another Cyclocross World Championships in January of 2023 in Hoogerheide. The summer of 2023 marked a new chapter for White, where he earned a spot on the Mountain Bike World Championships team."
Backlash in Colorado as National Park Signs Urge Visitors to Report 'Negative' Views About America
The signage went up at National Parks sites nationwide per executive order, but Amache and Sand Creek descendants want history preserved. Just days after the new signs, a small act of defiance surfaced at Amache National Historic Site.
____
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
