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back in march a work friend of mine was on his way to work on a fine dry morning when a guy in 4 x 4 pulled out in front of him giving him no time to brake. he hit the 'b' piller straight on mainly with his body, the impact broke the rear window !! the out come of this is he will be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life ( he's only 32 with 2 young girls ).
on friday the driver finally apperes in court admitted all charges and guess what he got ? 4 points on his licence and 100 pound fine !!!!
if you go 2 miles per hour over a 30 limit you get 3 points and a 60 pound fine. what have you got to do to get what this guy should have got, kill someone ???

 

[electjohn]

Here in the states they would likely fine the bike rider for hitting the vehicle, here there is no question of justice only who has the most money. :yoda:

 

[Pete Kohalmi]

These are the worst stories to hear about in motorcycling. It's one thing to hurt oneself becasue of your own mistake, but quite another when it's someone else's. And it could happen to anyone of us. Tragic.

 

[Black Sheep]

Here in the states they would likely fine the bike rider for hitting the vehicle, here there is no question of justice only who has the most money. :yoda:

+1 - All motorcycle accidents in the states are the riders fault.

 

[unL33T]

Here in Ontario, Canada, in my second year of college one of my classmates had a senior woman make an illegal left turn in front of him without warning. He had no time to brake, wasn't even speeding. He died that day. She was found guilty. $90 fine for "improper left turn" and she was back on the road.

 

[TimC]

On average, penalties for unintentionally injuring or even killing someone with your car are pathetic.

 

[jsmith8008]

Wow. I can't believe that. Is the driver responsible for monetary compensation of the rider?

 

[electjohn]

On average, penalties for unintentionally injuring or even killing someone with your car are pathetic.

Not entirely true, I was involved in an accident where someone jumped on the ehood of my car pressed his face onto my windshield, I was going 5-10 mph. Received a ticket because any pedestrian accident is the fault of the car driver. had to replace the hood of my car $1000.00, I found out from my insurance company that he was 27 years old and I was his 9th such claim, don't know if they paid him or not. I go back to my original statement no justice only money ever changes hands. This was a pedestrian accident, i think if another vehicle the police look on it differently :yoda:

 

[john56]

when a two wheeler gets taken out or goes down, almost all non-riders think: "serves him/her right for riding a motorcycle"

 

[[email protected]]

how true john, thanks for the reply. stay safe !!

 

[twowheeladdict]

+1 - All motorcycle accidents in the states are the riders fault.

I disagree with that statement. I was hit while sitting in line at a stop sign by a guy turning right who crossed the yellow line into me. No question about fault.

In the US there is a difference with the penal code and civil liability. The person might only get a small fine and points in the penal system, but can be sued in the civil court system.

I have found that the more gear and Hi-vis stuff you wear the greater the perception that you are a safe motorcyclist instead of a black leather 'biker', or hoodlem sport bike sqid in the eye of the public.

 

[speedracer3605]

I would agree, ive been with people that dont know i ride and heard their comments about riders. It seems to be just as pointed out above. if your in leathers your a race freak. if your young with little or no gear your a squid. but if your decked out in textile gear your a "good" rider. its insane!!

 

[Suzooker]

There is a bias against motorcyclists in the US and across the pond. You are automatically assessed as guilty before the judge even sees you. "On a bike, must be guilty of something." A good lawyer familiar with motorcycle injuries is very helpful (necessary!) if the guilty party has any assets to go after.

 

[electjohn]

If that is bad in England look at this in Ohio, last soring morning a man was walking on a rural road near his house when a young girl texting on her phone went off the road hitting and killing him. The news media says how trajic this is because her live is ruined, the man 65 is dead and that is not a concern, she will not go to trial until next year and the maximim might be 6 months in jail, I won't go into the reasons that our lawyers state that it can't be more and why they canb't ban texting while driving, if you are upset with someone wait in your car and start texting while you kill them, don't have a beer with you, that would put you in prision for quite awhile. :yoda: