Quote:
| Originally Posted by JasonP A particularly poor example as he doesn't seem to have been penalised at all for causing the deaths. He was penalised for defective tyres, but it was decided they weren't a factor. Accidents do happen. They don't have to be anyone's fault, particularly in icy conditions, etc. |
I think it's an excellent, if extreme, example. Driving too fast for what were obviously extremely cold conditions. A (non-expert) police officer at the scene effectively screwed the whole trial by stating that the knackered tyres weren't to blame.
OK, going back too many years for me to find it: Man in car pulls out from side road in front of motorcylist who is fatally injured. Man's excuse? "I'd been watching a football match in a muddy field and my foot slipped off the clutch pedal." Penalty? Zip. Apparently cleaning one's shoes before attempting to control a potentially lethal machine with said shoes wasn't considered necessary.
It's like so much in life. The powers that be don't cycle / motorcycle / dive etc, so cyclists and motorcyclists generally get a raw deal in the courts and divers get a raw deal from the airlines.