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I completely disagree with your notion that its "unreasonable/difficult" to keep that type of distance. I think if an individual has a hard time with this then it’s their driving skills that are lacking and has absolutely nothing to do with being on a big city expressway.
I live in S. Florida which has been consistently rated as one of the worst places to drive with the worst drivers. Also, the expressways here rival the hustle and bustle of major expressways across the country. I have NEVER had trouble keeping a consistent safe distance from the car in front while driving 80 mph. So anyone who can't keep that distances either isn’t trying or are seriously lacking in driving skills.
That's not how it is in Chicago. People lane hop and will tuck themselves in between two cars in an attempt to reduce their 55 mph commute.
Because she was a freekin' moron with no consideration for the lives of others? I haven't re-read the entire thread but did this jackass even turn on her emergency flashers? Kill 2 people and get 90 DAYS? Absurd.
Fact: She did not kill anybody. Her actions caused an unfortunate series of events that lead to the death of two others, but she did not kill anybody.
A few months back, I was driving at 45 mph down a two lane road when I noticed a family of geese waddling across the street. You don't have a lot of time to think about this type of thing... It was either floor it and kill all the baby goslings and their mother or try to brake and risk the guy behind me not stopping in time. What are you supposed to do?
I ended up stopping and the guy behind me couldn't stop in time and swerved around me. Half of me felt like an ******* and the other half felt like he should have been watching the geese get ready to move into the road. Ugh. Moral choices.
A few months back, I was driving at 45 mph down a two lane road when I noticed a family of geese waddling across the street. You don't have a lot of time to think about this type of thing... It was either floor it and kill all the baby goslings and their mother or try to brake and risk the guy behind me not stopping in time. What are you supposed to do?
I ended up stopping and the guy behind me couldn't stop in time and swerved around me. Half of me felt like an ******* and the other half felt like he should have been watching the geese get ready to move into the road. Ugh. Moral choices.
I would have ran over the geese rather than risk the person behind me being killed or permanently disabled.
A few months back, I was driving at 45 mph down a two lane road when I noticed a family of geese waddling across the street. You don't have a lot of time to think about this type of thing... It was either floor it and kill all the baby goslings and their mother or try to brake and risk the guy behind me not stopping in time. What are you supposed to do?
I ended up stopping and the guy behind me couldn't stop in time and swerved around me. Half of me felt like an ******* and the other half felt like he should have been watching the geese get ready to move into the road. Ugh. Moral choices.
There's no way I could have floored it to kill a bunch of geese either. Few people can do that. I used to live in an area where Geese crossing was a regular occurrence, everyone stops.
You asked for my opinion on this matter, so here it is.
She created a situation that resulted in two people being killed, through her negligent actions.
She was charged and convicted of two counts of criminal negligence, causing death.
Now, at this point I will make a few observations about the law in Quebec, versus the rest of Canada.
Quebec's law system is based on the French Napoleonic code, not the British Common Law, so there are some basic differences in how a case is decided. The Judge who heard the evidence, also heard the sentencing suggestions put forth by the Crown Attorney, and the defence attorney, before passing his sentence, after rendering his judgement of guilt. The Judge is not bound to side with one opinion or the other, but generally the sentence is somewhere in between the two opinions.
As it happens, the sentence is being appealed by the woman and her lawyer, so everything is in a state of suspended animation, while the appeals court hears the case on appeal. Now, about the idea of serving a sentence in short bits, on weekends. It allows the convicted person to meet their legal obligation to serve the sentence, but at the same time to continue to be employed, and maintain their connection to their family. A mixture of punishment and sympathy, at the same time.
This case obviously has stirred strong emotions on both sides of the question..... Was she acting in a legal and safe manner, or did she commit a criminal act, that resulted in deaths ? On the basis of the accident investigation by the QPP, she was negligent in her actions. The argument about the motorcycle operator being " too close " is laid aside by the Judge's written opinion, in which he stated that if the accused had NOT stopped on the active lanes of the highway, no one would have died.
In my personal opinion, the woman should have received a longer sentence, of perhaps two years. That would have satisfied the need for condemnation of her dangerous actions, while leaving the door open for a civil action by the surviving Wife against the woman driver.
In Canada, civil suits have a lower threshold for proving guilt than in a criminal case. On the other hand, if you sue some one in a civil trial and the court rules in favour of the other party, YOU pay their costs, as well as your own, so you had better be very sure of your facts, before you go to court.
It was a sad and unfortunate case, which I hope will be a cautionary tale for the future. In summation, remember that your actions can be held to account, in a criminal court. Especially if a death occurs as a result of what you did.
This. People don't expect cars to stop on an interstate freeway unless it's an emergency and if you deliberately create an emergency you will be held responsible for this. Just because a person driving behind you did not react in time to the emergency that you deliberately created does not absolve you from responsibility.
It's illegal to deliberately stop on a freeway in the US unless you have a good reason for it (car trouble or to avoid hitting an obstacle that you can't drive over or around without putting your life or the life of others in danger). I am pretty sure that Quebec has similar laws. After breaking that law, she doesn't get to put the blame on another person for not being careful enough to avoid the situation she illegally created.
Just imagine that there was no ducks and she stopped because she was too drunk to drive any further. How many people would be still defending her ? Yet it's the same situation.
This. People don't expect cars to stop on an interstate freeway unless it's an emergency and if you deliberately create an emergency you will be held responsible for this. Just because a person driving behind you did not react in time to the emergency that you deliberately created does not absolve you from responsibility.
It's illegal to deliberately stop on a freeway in the US unless you have a good reason for it (car trouble or to avoid hitting an obstacle that you can't drive over or around without putting your life or the life of others in danger). I am pretty sure that Quebec has similar laws. After breaking that law, she doesn't get to put the blame on another person for not being careful enough to avoid the situation she illegally created.
Just imagine that there was no ducks and she stopped because she was too drunk to drive any further. How many people would be still defending her ? Yet it's the same situation.
I agree with everything you said. There are serious wackos in this world.
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