A great little infofilm about the concept of Strict Liability, which is the norm in Denmark and The Netherlands, among other European countries. It was uploaded by Carlton Reid from Quickrelease.tv and I Pay Road Tax.comWith Strict Liability, it's always the motorist at fault when they collide with vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists.
In the film, Hans Voerknecht, international coordinator of the Dutch Fietsberaad explains how this works in practice.
Basically, cars kill. Those who drive cars and kill or injure people are liable, simply because of the responsibility involved in operating a 2000 kg machine.- The UK is only one of four Western European countries that doesnt have 'strict liability' to protect cyclists and pedestrians.- Strict liability entitles a crash victim to compensation unless the driver can prove the cyclist or pedestrian was at fault.- Strict liability encourages more careful driving (and cycling, because a cyclist would be deemed to be at fault for crashing into a pedestrian).- Strict liability would be a matter of civil rather than criminal law so would not affect criminal prosecutions.
