Off Topic » Is this the thin edge of the wedge?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-62020427


Alan

So…instead of teaching pedestrians to not blindly step into traffic….

Same garbage here in the USA with 15 mph school zones. We don’t teach kids to no dart into traffic, so we slow a major thoroughfare to a crawl for the slow and stupid because we have a school within X blocks of the road (yeah…not always in front of the school).

Zitat von zer0netgain im Beitrag #3

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So…instead of teaching pedestrians to not blindly step into traffic….

Same garbage here in the USA with 15 mph school zones. We don’t teach kids to no dart into traffic, so we slow a major thoroughfare to a crawl for the slow and stupid because we have a school within X blocks of the road (yeah…not always in front of the school).

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Speed limits don't mean much if there isn't enforcement. In my world, state law prevents local/municipal police from using radar or camera systems for speed enforcement. Therefore, unless you're driving recklessly, they have no means or basis for issuing a speeding ticket. Now, in that other 80-90% of the state, without local police, there's only state police to patrol and they're limited to radar as a tool. In case they do issue a ticket, if the offender decides to contest the ticket and appears in traffic court, the state will lose money paying the mandatory overtime wages (and affiliated benefit costs) for the officer's court appearance (~$100/hr with a 2-hr minimum).

Zitat von Paul911 im Beitrag #4

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Zitat von zer0netgain im Beitrag #3

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So…instead of teaching pedestrians to not blindly step into traffic….

Same garbage here in the USA with 15 mph school zones. We don’t teach kids to no dart into traffic, so we slow a major thoroughfare to a crawl for the slow and stupid because we have a school within X blocks of the road (yeah…not always in front of the school).

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School zones are at least 20mph in my state, but they never mark the end of the school zone, only the beginning, because the DPW here is a bunch of half assed cretins.

I regularly exceed 20mph on my bicycle.

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Zitat von Paul911 im Beitrag #4

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Zitat von zer0netgain im Beitrag #3

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So…instead of teaching pedestrians to not blindly step into traffic….

Same garbage here in the USA with 15 mph school zones. We don’t teach kids to no dart into traffic, so we slow a major thoroughfare to a crawl for the slow and stupid because we have a school within X blocks of the road (yeah…not always in front of the school).

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School zones are at least 20mph in my state, but they never mark the end of the school zone, only the beginning, because the DPW here is a bunch of half assed cretins.

I regularly exceed 20mph on my bicycle.

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Zitat von Mr. 36654 im Beitrag #5

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Speed limits don't mean much if there isn't enforcement

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A few years ago my granddaughter was riding her bicycle through the local elementary school (25mph) zone. A mother holding a cup of coffee swung open her SUV's driver's door so she could dash across the street to pick up her child. When she did that my granddaughter ran into her door and was knocked off her bicycle, hurting her leg. The woman's insurance company claimed that my granddaughter was at fault because she should have avoided the door that opened up in front of her. No cops showed up. My daughter's car (?) insurance agreed that she was at fault and ended up paying the woman $3K to repair her door, which had been damaged by the accident. My daughter called an attorney that specializes in representing bicycle rider accidents and he said that insurance companies always blame bicycle riders when they are hit by a car.

Zitat von Richard230 im Beitrag #9

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….The woman's insurance company claimed that my granddaughter was at fault because she should have avoided the door that opened up in front of her. No cops showed up. My daughter's car (?) insurance agreed that she was at fault and ended up paying the woman $3K to repair her door, which had been damaged by the accident. My daughter called an attorney that specializes in representing bicycle rider accidents and he said that insurance companies always blame bicycle riders when they are hit by a car.

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Zitat von wessie im Beitrag #11

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Zitat von zer0netgain im Beitrag #10

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Zitat von Richard230 im Beitrag #9

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….The woman's insurance company claimed that my granddaughter was at fault because she should have avoided the door that opened up in front of her. No cops showed up. My daughter's car (?) insurance agreed that she was at fault and ended up paying the woman $3K to repair her door, which had been damaged by the accident. My daughter called an attorney that specializes in representing bicycle rider accidents and he said that insurance companies always blame bicycle riders when they are hit by a car.

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Okay, I’ll be the a-hole here. As a matter of company policy, they will always say it isn’t their insured’s fault, but I’ve seen enough morons on bicycles who clearly give no thought to situational awareness. When passing a stopped vehicle (parallel parked), you should always anticipate that someone will open a door without seeing you. If motorcycles are invisible, what does that mean for cyclists? Typically, fault is a question of fact and application of law. It’s the same as that the person who hits you from the rear is automatically at fault…not true. It’s assumed, but many situations would change who is liable for damages.

Granted the “tortfeasor” was a child, but when I learned to ride a bicycle (40+ years ago), I was taught to anticipate dangers because others may not see you, and we didn’t have bicycle lanes…often riding on the same roadways as the regular traffic.

What’s odd is why did your daughter’s car insurance pay damages. The grandchild was not insured nor was the bicycle. If she had a home policy…maybe if it covered litigation (parent being liable for acts of the child)…or an umbrella liability policy.

Unfortunately, for $3K in damages, it’s cheaper to settle than to fight it. I had a kid accuse me of hit and run in the college parking lot. Clearly an impact happened, but the damage was the size of a quarter. I felt nothing as the other driver was speeding in the lot and all I felt was the sudden stop when I slammed on the brakes. He had me blocked in, drove off, so I presumed nothing more happened. He waited a couple of hours to file the complaint…so it would make sense that I drove off first because the lot would be nearly empty. Insurance paid because it wasn’t worth the cost of fighting the claim.

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I assumed the claim was against the parent's domestic liability insurance as part of a household policy. This would be the case in the UK as there would be no insurable incident under a motor policy. The claimant made an allegation that the child was not adequately supervised and as you say, the underwriter rolled over rather than defend the allegation of negligent parenting.

Whilst there would be provision in UK law for such claims, I cannot recall a similar incident amongst people I know. I think most UK drivers would accept their own liability in not checking the road properly before opening a door.

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Zitat von zer0netgain im Beitrag #10

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Okay, I’ll be the a-hole here. As a matter of company policy, they will always say it isn’t their insured’s fault, but I’ve seen enough morons on bicycles who clearly give no thought to situational awareness. When passing a stopped vehicle (parallel parked), you should always anticipate that someone will open a door without seeing you. .

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Zitat von zer0netgain im Beitrag #10

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...I’ve seen enough morons on bicycles who clearly give no thought to situational awareness. When passing a stopped vehicle (parallel parked), you should always anticipate that someone will open a door without seeing you. If motorcycles are invisible, what does that mean for cyclists? ...

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Zitat von Ray B im Beitrag #14

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Zitat von zer0netgain im Beitrag #10

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...I’ve seen enough morons on bicycles who clearly give no thought to situational awareness. When passing a stopped vehicle (parallel parked), you should always anticipate that someone will open a door without seeing you. If motorcycles are invisible, what does that mean for cyclists? ...

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Agree - but the morons to which you refer don't last too long as cyclists. After the first time they are "doored" (common enough in the states to warrant a verb), they are back in their SUVs and on their phones.

Hopefully, Richard230's granddaughter inherited the family resiliance and love of 2-wheel travel, and she is back on the bike and watching the driver's seats....

The hypervigilance learned through city cycling transfers well to our "invisible" motorcycles.

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