Quote:
Originally Posted by Gothard
Disclaimer: I am not living in the US, and don't know the legal system there(at all).
That's the point: we (you) can NOT leave it to the police and justice system, because time and again, the system has shown that cyclists lives have little value.
What is the difference between mowing down a peloton, arguably intentionally, and going on a murder spree with a gun? results are remarkably similar, yet one gets a slap on the wrist, and the other becomes Vlad the Impaler's offspring, and gets treated as such...
Maybe if the sidelines (us) become vocal enough, the system will open their eyes.
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You take a very simplistic view of justice to the point it becomes unjust. Premediated murder, to crimes of passion, to manslaughter all result in the same outcome. However, intent differs. Intent is important. The las vegas shooter intended to kill many people, planned it, and executed. Driver in a fit of rage may hit a cyclist not intending to kill him but does. Someone makes a turn and hits and kills a cyclist who ran a red light. All are examples of different intent. A lawyer probably could explain it better than I.
Does each one who killed in the examples deserve to go to jail? If so, do they all deserve the same sentence? You seem to suggest this. I disagree.
I think the issue here with cyclists and vehicles is its hard to prove that the driver was trying to intentionally kill the cyclist in most cases. I cannot recall a premediated killing spree on cyclist by a driver. Also, there is a dislike towards cyclist by the general population which doesnt help a cyclist favor when the facts a gray.