Same as anyone on a plane with or without a box cutter. Intent is what matters. A car is a deadly weapon just like a gun. This post depicts someone pulling that trigger.
Even when a person unintentionally discharges a firearm that causes harm, they are still accountable. Culturally this must be how driving is held to account. In court, this is absolutely the case, but ignorant cultural norms lag very far behind.
I was physically disabled by an incompetent driver that broke my neck and back while commuting to work by bicycle. I was a top level amateur racer. I am not dishing out hypothetical nonsense or prejudice. Auto insurance doesn’t even scratch the surface of the liability one will face in court for injuring a pedestrian or pedestrian-cyclist on the road. Any remotely skilled attorney will start the case in the 7-8 figure range regardless of your present net worth. If this driver is caught, the cyclist will own them, like driving their car, living in their house, and inheriting their parent’s fortune. I would absolutely force an auction at my expense to sell the shirt off my assailant’s back after something like this to watch them walk into homelessness naked. Pull that trigger and I am coming with no mercy and taking everything.
It’s always been horrific to me how some people feel a sense of moral entitlement to hurt others either via carelessness or stupidity, like when hearing comments drivers have made about cyclists while I’m a passenger. As if the cyclist is intent on causing problems, so they “get what they deserve.” Truly sickening shit. My uncle was in a coma for 2 months after being hit while biking. Brain hemorrhaging, he was wearing a helmet but wasn’t enough. He’s lucky to be alive. Cultural norms indeed are ages behind.
It is a slight reassurance to hear what you’re saying about the legal system. I really hope that your description of what cyclists can get awarded is similar to your lived experience, I empathize with you.
I guess all people who live in rural places should just get fucked then 🤷 My parents live in the countryside, and despite one of my parents engaging actively in local politics and campaigning to get better public transportation connections, nothing has changed, so getting out of the village is severly limited without a car.
Add emergency situations to that—like the few times they needed an ambulance, but were told to piss off—and they can literally get fucked and die. But sure, everyone who has a car is a terrorist.
I live in the city and commute on my bike and use public transit. Hospital, grocery store and other amenities are also in a walking distance. Not everyone is lucky to be in the same position, though.
I was meaning it in a much more lighthearted manner my dude.
My parents and grandparents are in the same position as yours, but you have to see the other side of this coin too. My grandpa was almost blind(had surgery is better now) and 80+. He has to drive because there is no other form of transportation. I love him with all my heart but this is not safe he knows it, we know it, but there is just no other option.
This is what the “we need cars for remote villages” argument leads to.
About the ambulance argument, this is just fucked and I hope illegal in most places. And cars will do absolutely nothing to help there. If you are having a medical emergency the last thing you should be doing is drive yourself to the hospital.
Being in a place with half decent public transport should not be a privilege, but a right and we should treat it as infringement of that right to not have public transport.
I’m just tired of seeing the extremes, including the “people who drive cars are evil” stances. When in reality we’re all getting fucked by uneducated assholes, rich car lobbyists and corrupted gov’ts who push against good public transportation—among many other things for public good.
Re: emergency. They didn’t drive themselves, but one parent drove the other one. My grandma once had to take a taxi because the ambulance wouldn’t come. Yeah, things are fucked in my home country. Many of the reasons I emigrated and why I don’t plan on going back.
I do agree that the people that need cars now just have no other choice, but we must keep that into perspective. What I am trying to say it that the “no cars” viewpoint looks extremist only from our current angel.
Compare it to gun culture in the US. If you propose removing all guns people there will go crazy, but at the same time the people having guns where I live(Eastern Europe) are seen as a but strange and maybe a bit dangerous.
About the emergency I hate it is that way, I hope it gets better because that works only until both your parents can drive and that will not always be the case as you can see in my example.
We have enough money to connect all rural places with transport preferable (easier & more comfortable, timely) to cars.
As well as enough money to always get picked up by ambulances in case of any emergency.
We just chose not to invest in that & instead invest in stuff that makes wealth concentration easier - and basic infrastructure costlier (like healthcare).
So, anyone with a car is a terrorist now?
Same as anyone on a plane with or without a box cutter. Intent is what matters. A car is a deadly weapon just like a gun. This post depicts someone pulling that trigger.
Even when a person unintentionally discharges a firearm that causes harm, they are still accountable. Culturally this must be how driving is held to account. In court, this is absolutely the case, but ignorant cultural norms lag very far behind.
I was physically disabled by an incompetent driver that broke my neck and back while commuting to work by bicycle. I was a top level amateur racer. I am not dishing out hypothetical nonsense or prejudice. Auto insurance doesn’t even scratch the surface of the liability one will face in court for injuring a pedestrian or pedestrian-cyclist on the road. Any remotely skilled attorney will start the case in the 7-8 figure range regardless of your present net worth. If this driver is caught, the cyclist will own them, like driving their car, living in their house, and inheriting their parent’s fortune. I would absolutely force an auction at my expense to sell the shirt off my assailant’s back after something like this to watch them walk into homelessness naked. Pull that trigger and I am coming with no mercy and taking everything.
It’s always been horrific to me how some people feel a sense of moral entitlement to hurt others either via carelessness or stupidity, like when hearing comments drivers have made about cyclists while I’m a passenger. As if the cyclist is intent on causing problems, so they “get what they deserve.” Truly sickening shit. My uncle was in a coma for 2 months after being hit while biking. Brain hemorrhaging, he was wearing a helmet but wasn’t enough. He’s lucky to be alive. Cultural norms indeed are ages behind.
It is a slight reassurance to hear what you’re saying about the legal system. I really hope that your description of what cyclists can get awarded is similar to your lived experience, I empathize with you.
I like the idea
I guess all people who live in rural places should just get fucked then 🤷 My parents live in the countryside, and despite one of my parents engaging actively in local politics and campaigning to get better public transportation connections, nothing has changed, so getting out of the village is severly limited without a car.
Add emergency situations to that—like the few times they needed an ambulance, but were told to piss off—and they can literally get fucked and die. But sure, everyone who has a car is a terrorist.
I live in the city and commute on my bike and use public transit. Hospital, grocery store and other amenities are also in a walking distance. Not everyone is lucky to be in the same position, though.
I was meaning it in a much more lighthearted manner my dude.
My parents and grandparents are in the same position as yours, but you have to see the other side of this coin too. My grandpa was almost blind(had surgery is better now) and 80+. He has to drive because there is no other form of transportation. I love him with all my heart but this is not safe he knows it, we know it, but there is just no other option. This is what the “we need cars for remote villages” argument leads to.
About the ambulance argument, this is just fucked and I hope illegal in most places. And cars will do absolutely nothing to help there. If you are having a medical emergency the last thing you should be doing is drive yourself to the hospital.
Being in a place with half decent public transport should not be a privilege, but a right and we should treat it as infringement of that right to not have public transport.
I’m just tired of seeing the extremes, including the “people who drive cars are evil” stances. When in reality we’re all getting fucked by uneducated assholes, rich car lobbyists and corrupted gov’ts who push against good public transportation—among many other things for public good.
Re: emergency. They didn’t drive themselves, but one parent drove the other one. My grandma once had to take a taxi because the ambulance wouldn’t come. Yeah, things are fucked in my home country. Many of the reasons I emigrated and why I don’t plan on going back.
I do agree that the people that need cars now just have no other choice, but we must keep that into perspective. What I am trying to say it that the “no cars” viewpoint looks extremist only from our current angel.
Compare it to gun culture in the US. If you propose removing all guns people there will go crazy, but at the same time the people having guns where I live(Eastern Europe) are seen as a but strange and maybe a bit dangerous.
About the emergency I hate it is that way, I hope it gets better because that works only until both your parents can drive and that will not always be the case as you can see in my example.
We have enough money to connect all rural places with transport preferable (easier & more comfortable, timely) to cars.
As well as enough money to always get picked up by ambulances in case of any emergency.
We just chose not to invest in that & instead invest in stuff that makes wealth concentration easier - and basic infrastructure costlier (like healthcare).