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Well the fact is most people DO NOT HAVE a lot of money, so the only one they can sue is the insurance company. And they are ONLY going to pay for what they are legally responsible for, not a cent more. And that would only go up to the limit of the policy.
So this idea would not make anyone rich. They likely, more than not, to wind up with nothing.
Well the fact is most people DO NOT HAVE a lot of money, so the only one they can sue is the insurance company. And they are ONLY going to pay for what they are legally responsible for, not a cent more. And that would only go up to the limit of the policy.
So, you are saying if I don't have car insurance, I can hit anybody and any car without paying anything for the other person because I have no insurance?
If one day you run into someone like that biker, you will know how it feel.
Well the fact is most people DO NOT HAVE a lot of money, so the only one they can sue is the insurance company. And they are ONLY going to pay for what they are legally responsible for, not a cent more. And that would only go up to the limit of the policy.
So this idea would not make anyone rich. They likely, more than not, to wind up with nothing.
No, that's also not true. I was involved in a car accident involving a fatality back in 2011. The accident wasn't in any way my fault. I at no point ever had any legal responsibility for it. Still, because the passenger who wasn't wearing a set belt in the at-fault car was ejected momentarily (still in the air) before the car hit me head-on, it wasn't the type of case they wanted to take to trial. Dead 16-year-old isn't a defense case, regardless of what the facts are. Juries rule by emotion as much, if not more, than they do by facts.
In my case, most of my money is in my earning potential. I'm looking at 35 or so years of decent earnings to garnish, which is a lot of money. Yeah, you can't get blood from a stone but most people you can get blood out of. That's why you carry decent levels of insurance. The complaint started off at $500,000 and went to a million once they got my policy limits through discovery. Now, had the accident been my fault and I had not had insurance or the minimum required insurance, they probably would take that to court and get a garnishment on my earnings. Since it wasn't my fault, they ended up settling for much less than that out of court.
I would think that the biker thought that they could beat the car making the left turn, not throwing themselves into your path for a potential lawsuit, absent a factor of a mentally ill individual who wants to do themselves harm by jumping in front of a vehicle. Many pedestrians and cyclists tend to do this in my experience, where the left turn arrows are green, yet the pedestrian or cyclist is operating on the fallacious premise that they have the right of way because the cross traffic has stopped. They do not wait for the walk signal or a green signal in their direction of travel, and step into the street or crosswalk.
Always scan the intersection for potential obstacles when you are waiting to make a turn at a light. I never understand how some people, and I am not suggesting that's the case with the OP, tend to fly into a left turn merely because the light has turned green. The light grants you access to make your turn, but it is still incumbent on the driver to ensure that it is safe to do so, and if that means driving slowly past a pedestrian or cyclist who may step off the curb, so be it. When I am a pedestrian or on my bicycle, I obey the rules of the road, but so many do not, so always expect that they will do something stupid, and you will be prepared for the eventuality when they live up to that expectation.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
Regardless of the intentions of the cyclist, you mentioned using the "emergency brake". Just so you know, the "emergency brake" is really a parking brake and just uses the back brakes on your car which can be drum brakes instead of disc and in some cases, just a small drum brake in the middle of the disc assembly and is connected with a cable. The rear brakes on cars provide well less than half the braking power of a car. I some cases, maybe 25%. Activating them with the cable diminshed this further.
You would be much better off just using the normal brake pedal to stop in all cases.
I drive semi-trucks for a living. I see this crap on a regular basis. Thankfully the company I work for has had cameras installed in all of their trucks.
So, you are saying if I don't have car insurance, I can hit anybody and any car without paying anything for the other person because I have no insurance?
If one day you run into someone like that biker, you will know how it feel.
If you are a nobody.. yes.. If you want a future and don't want to be owned by someone, then you would care to get insurance.
Regardless of the intentions of the cyclist, you mentioned using the "emergency brake". Just so you know, the "emergency brake" is really a parking brake and just uses the back brakes on your car which can be drum brakes instead of disc and in some cases, just a small drum brake in the middle of the disc assembly and is connected with a cable. The rear brakes on cars provide well less than half the braking power of a car. I some cases, maybe 25%. Activating them with the cable diminshed this further.
You would be much better off just using the normal brake pedal to stop in all cases.
OP is an inexperienced driver learning the surprises of the road.
So, you are saying if I don't have car insurance, I can hit anybody and any car without paying anything for the other person because I have no insurance?
If one day you run into someone like that biker, you will know how it feel.
Learn to READ! Nowhere did I say that! My words are above for you to re-read...
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