Raise the Hammer

You really should have done a little homework before you wrote the article. Under Canadian law in the case of a vehicle and pedestrian accident the driver of the vehicle is assumed to be at fault. Strange but true. One of the reasons vehicle owners are required to have third party liability insurance but are not required to have collision insurance on their own cars.

Not so long ago more drivers died in accidents in Hamilton than pedestrians. In the years from 1985 to 2009 the accident and pedestrian fatality rate in Hamilton trended DOWN not up. If fact Hamilton had one of the lowest rates in Canada. But of course that wasn't good enough for the powers that be and major changes were made to the road network and the resulting consequences may very well have caused an uptick in the fatalities to pedestrians.

I know you like to paint these pictures of the evil car driver and the poor harmless pedestrian but in reality more times then not that is not the case. The latest accident were the senior was killed is truely a deplorable thing. Any driver who drives a car were they cannot see out properly they deserve to have the book thrown at them. In most instances however that is not the case. The lack of charges in most car vs pedestrian accidents when the driver is assumed to be at fault points to the fact in a lot of the accidents the pedestrian is at fault.

If you want to change the law in Canada that the driver is always charged with careless driving then please go ahead and lobby that change. I bet millions of citizens disagree with you but maybe I am wrong and they will side with you.

The laws in Holland reflect the conditions of that country. It is a tiny country with cities and towns that are very densely populated. Transit and cycling are king and the standard way of commuting to and from work. Car ownership is very low. Quite the contrast to Canada were commuting by car is the standard and every other mode is a distant second.

The difference in the law reflects the difference in not only the physical differences between the country but also the difference in the attitudes and beliefs of the population. Again if you wish to change the laws please feel free to lobby for those changes. I believe that you are part of a tiny, tiny minority but maybe not.