Motorists To Take Blame For Cycle Crashes
Cycling lobby group wants 'legal onus' for accidents involving cars to be placed on drivers
The government is being advised to make motorists automatically responsible in all accidents involving cyclists, a move that could cause insurance premiums to soar.
A Department for Transport funded agency called Cycling England is calling for a change in civil law to make drivers liable for compensation and other insurance costs. "I would like to see the legal onus placed on motorists when there are accidents" says Phillip Darnton, chief executive of Cycling England.
The legislation that Cycling England is pushing for could also have worrying implications for other motorists. If the idea is that the more powerful vehicle in an accident is always to blame, what's to stop a clever lawyer arguing that the Toyota Prius that's just rear-ended your new 911 is actually the innocent party?
Hopefully, however, the proposals are little more than hot air. In fact a spokesman for the DfT, in a moment of uncharacteristic common sense, said: "This is something that gets raised by pressure groups from time to time. Cycling England has proposed it, but it is not something that is being considered by ministers."
To be honest I do quite a lot of cycling and it would be gratifying to have power over the useless old guffers that from time to time try to swipe you with their wing mirrors, but I find a torrent of verbal abuse does the trick normally.
This idea is madness though on what planet can blame be automatically assigned to any accident? What if a cyclist hits the side of your car and breaks his neck your insurance would have to fork up a mint because you didn’t fly away or turn into a cloud of pixie dust!
Phillip Darnton, chief executive of Cycling England needs to get off his bike he’s clearly inhaled to may car fumes!
Insurance however is a good point. I guess the reason for this suggestion is that most cyclist don't have insurance, so if there was automatic cover in car policies to cover and accident with a cyclist then this would resolve the issue. However, a more fair approach would be to just enforce cyclist to get at least 3rd party insurance when cycling.
Recently a 50 year old man, member of the local cycling club got killed in such a manner. Just because the law says the car driver is resposible does not remove the need for the cyclists to take due care and attention.
Because I know what it's like to drive with bikes undertaking you at a junction of swinging out on you at traffic lights I try my dam hardest not to..
What they should do is make anyone wanting to ride a bike on the road have insurance to cover them incase of a crash etc... just like bloody Horse riders should have to as well.
Make them pay road tax too whilst your at it...
Govenment = W A N K E R S
Why should anyone be automatically at fault?
Don’t be mental.
You going to buy your son or daughter a bike for xmas if they need to insure it?
Why don't the poweres that be in this country start looking after there own rather than trying to upset them and 'driving' them out...
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