Originally Posted by
hshearer
<snip>
Of course, it's very sad that the woman is injured. And there is the usual hate-on and calls to license bike riders (as if you can regulate stupidity). !
Actually you can regulate stupidity. That's what most traffic laws are all about. Regulating stupidity is exactly what I'd call a law against riding the wrong way down a one-way street.
Originally Posted by
hshearer
On the bright side, there is also outrage at how puny the punishment is for seriously injuring another person through careless driving (this is what the cyclist was charged with, and it carries a $400-$2000 fine). People are saying we need harsher penalties.
Overall this is a good thing but the more severe the penalty, the less likely it is to be invoked when a judge or juror can empathize with the defendant. I'd much rather that the existing $400-$2000 fine be levied each and every time something like this happens than for a heavier penalty to be given but only when the defendant is someone unlikely to get sympathy from the court.
If given the choice between severity and consistancy in penalties, I'll take consistancy every time.