Sir – Mark McArthur-Christie (Letters, September 17) is, of course, entirely correct when he asserts “ALL road users are equally responsible for their actions”. However, turn the coin over and consider this; are we all equally vulnerable to the consequences?
For a red blooded male, who enjoys mixing with the traffic on a motorbike or bicycle, there is little evidence or perception of fear. The more timid, the ones thinking about their children, their perception is quite different.
Thankfully we rarely witness an accident, but when they do happen they are well reported — Abingdon seems to be having more than its fair share recently.
The longhand version of the terms Stricter, No Fault, No Blame or Driver Liability is; “creating a legal presumption that pedestrians and cyclists injured in road traffic collisions are entitled to compensation”. It ensures a person in a collision, who hasn’t acted recklessly, possibly unable to recall what happened because of their injuries, is not burdened with the added stress of fighting for compensation. No blame is attributed to the person driving; drivers are not criminalised unless they were driving carelessly or dangerously, so no change there. Is that really so unfair? In the build-up to December’s international climate summit in Copenhagen, many people are seriously reviewing their transport choices.
Shouldn’t those of us who cannot manage without a car applaud, and support, those that try? After all, we’re all in this together.
How about putting aside those red light jumpers for a moment, just long enough to acknowledge that when things do go wrong, it’s not a level playing field out there.
Kevin Hickman, Witney
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