Quote:
|
If you cross the street without looking...
|
Dude, it's not even close to being a matter of 'looking'.
There's a reason bicycles have had bells as a primary available accessory for decades -- and it's not legislative mandate. It's U.S. case law -- and, by extension, insurance liability -- as it relates to culpability. You hit someone on a bike from behind and hurt them, it's your fault and you're liable,
no matter how in the wrong the injured party is, in almost every case.
The key is approaching from behind -- a situation that can only, by legal definition as I understand it, be mitigated by the vehicle operator. It's the same basic rule as being in stopped traffic and ramming the person in front of you because a car three cars back rammed the person in front of them and caused a chain reaction. Fundamentally, each person who does the ramming from behind is liable for the person they rammed into, even if the person who did the ramming did nothing proactive.
Many hybrid and EV owners already feel entitled enough as it is. This has been long overdue.