What should happen to a driver who runs down and kills a cyclist?

Question

Momentary lack of attention. Happens all the time. Some kill, some miss, just by luck.

But there must be a deterrent to encourage the careless driver to take avoiding actiopn.

See also:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AkCVl5mbNp9BaFx5serzmHHsy6IX?qid=20070710142006AAKaaOY

Answer 1

I know someone who was killed while riding her bike. She was actually hit by a granddaughter of their best friend....sad situation. Nothing happened to her, because she claims she didn't see her do to the time of day...sun hitting her in the eyes. Also, it was claimed that she was riding in the road.

Anyway...it depends on the situation....and circumstances...

Isn't living with the fact that you accidentally killed someone punishment enough?

Answer 2

What you mean is make a symbol or a lesson of someone, give them the death penalty, give them life, for turning the radio station, turning the heat up, down, the ac on.
Ask yourself before you get ready to hang someone, how many times have you looked at something other then the road directly in front of you or the driver directly in front of you?

This happens all the time by everyone, it's called an accident, we've all been there, we've all done it. If not DUI or reckless driving, overtly ignoring what were doing, it's an accident pure and simple.

It's a shame that someone gets hurt or worse, killed but, that doesn't mean someone else, the driver, should pay with his life, that's why we have insurance. It can happen to anyone.

By the way, was the cyclist in this case totally in the right or was some part due to him/her? could have it been avoided?

Answer 3

Involuntary Manslaughter be Auto, or Vehicular Homicide. If the Driver was not at fault and the cyclist was then nothing would happen. If the Driver was at fault, it all depends on a few things. If he was driving while intoxicated, he will go to prison for DUI with a fatality. If it shows that he could have avoided the cyclist, then he might get some time, but his family can sue him and his insurance company. There are alot of different scenarios concerning this. You would have to be more specific.

Answer 4

My cousin got knocked down back in February. It was hit & miss all night if she would make it to the morning. Thank God she did. But, she is still in hospital in a special ward that teaches her how to walk again. She was very lucky that she didn't have to learn to talk again too (talking is what she does best!!). It was an accident, and in my heart I do feel a bit sorry for the person that ran her down, as I know if something like that happened to me, I would never forgive myself and sincerely feel awful for the rest of my life. BUT I do have a problem with old people driving. She was old - 74 I think. What was a 74y/o woman doing driving in the middle of the night????? Also, in the paper the other week, an old person drove through the front of Tesco.....WTF?! And last month an old man was driving down the motorway on his little pop pop bang bang scooter. He had to be escorted off by the police which is a waste of tax payers money. He said "Oh, I accidently took the wrong exit and ended up on the motorway". How can you 'accidently' take the wrong exit n end up on the motorway?! Also, I accidently bumped (and wrote off!) an old mans car. Hands up, it was my fault. BUT, he later came over my mums house and her friend was there that he also knew. He was stood not even 3 meters away from her, and mistook her for my nan!!!!!! Now, if he can't see 3 meters inhead of him, surely he shouldn't be on the road. So, my conclusion is take old people off the road and the world should be a safer place to drive and cycle and walk!!!!!!

Answer 5

It's very sad when this kind of thing happens but the punishment should depend on the circumstances. If he was under the influence of any chemical substances he should have criminal charges pressed against him.

Let's face it, every one of us takes our life into our own hands and unfortunately into the hands of all the other morons driving around out there whenever we get in our car. You not only have to drive for yourself, you have to anticipate the actions of every other idiot out there who is driving while distracted, talking on their cell phone (my pet peeve!), and doing God only knows what else when they should be devoting every bit of their attention to driving. I hope that they start passing legislation that makes talking on a cell phone while driving every bit as punishible as drunk driving.

As for your friend, it's very sad but it happens all the time. Killing a cyclist is not really any more tragic than killing any other innocent person on the road and it happens every day. The law only requires us to be competent drivers which isn't the same as being a perfect driver. There should always, of course, be the option of taking civil action against the driver or his insurance company.

In a perfect world there would be a law that would make everyone pay attention while they're driving but we know there just isn't....

Answer 6

Motorcycles are inherently dangerous, period. They are often not recognized as a vehicle, often not seen, and often are driven by out of control riders who have no idea how to drive. Here in California, we have lane splitting, very dangerous. We have crazies everywhere driving like bats out of hell, we have riders who tackle the worst of mountains, die in mass every weekend. I was a rider, drove Goldwings. I never had a car come at me, I never drove like I was nuts. I took the NSA course early in the game, practiced daily honing driving skills. To think you can just hop on a cycle and all will be fine is lunacy. AT its best, it is still dangerous. I went down driving 4 miles per hour, hit water, both wheels lost traction, and I was high-sided. A fractured hip later, I decided that, no matter how good you are at driving cycles, it can happen. I would have been dead had I not had a helmet on...my helmet hit the street with a bang that could be heard blocks away..yet I see those who protest helmet laws...nuts, lunatics, crazies...whatever you want to call it. As for me, I will do my fast driving in my Crossfire Convert from now on. I will not roll, have full control at any speed, and am less apt to take risks. Cycles are fun, but they carry a very steep price. Thanks anyway. There is no way to make them safe, period. Most cycle deaths do NOT involve another car..they are alone when they crash.

Answer 7

"runs down and kills" sounds like an intentional act. That's murder.

Momentary lack of attention is vehicular manslaughter, which is usually a variant of negligent homicide.

Being convicted of homicide is usually a deterrent for most people.

Answer 8

A traffic accident that causes a death of someone is always handled by law enforcement...

Careless drivers are who CAUSE all accidents, not just those involving motorcycles. These individuals are punished.

Answer 9

are you suggesting that even the most careless driver would not take an attempt at avoiding a cyclist if they saw them?

Answer 10

it all depends on the circumstances. was it foggy out? was the cyclists' bike properly lit with reflectors all sorts of if's. what is wrong is to run someone over , intentional or not, and not stop.