yeah, but what about when they kill someone else - like your wife or children?
Laws themselves don't prevent that, do they? Especially if it is just a legal fee issue where they can circumvent the restriction at will. The insurance issue is hideous. Insurance is denied if someone without a valid license kills or injures my wife? Who benefits from that?
Besides any horsepower limitation for riders of bikes doesn't cross over to autos or trucks, does it? My wife in her car is more at risk from an SUV or high powered auto than a motorcycle. There is a mass/velocity issue there. Next we will be talking "special" licensing for vehicles over 2000 lbs, 3000 lbs, 4000 lbs etc. and then horspower categories as well. Do you want your wife to require special extra license fees and testing for her SUV or Volvo, or Mustang? But, the little GEO or other sub compact is standard licensing? A kinetic energy tax, ugh!
Would you rather have your wife hit with a stupid SUV or Auto driver or a stupid motorcyclist? Which do you think is more likely to injure other than the motorcyclist?
Life IS risk. Can't be avoided. Managing risk can be taught or learned at a very early age. It is usually learned in concert with responsibility. You can't legislate responsibility. That's a parenting and societal values trait. Legislation can only place blame and enforce penalties after the fact... IF they catch the offending party.
No such thing as total safety. Even with zero freedom. Giving up freedom for safety is a lose-lose propostion for the individual.
Cheers,
Well, I have a couple answers from that. I'm talking just about what happens in Spain; cant talk about other countries.
In Spain, the victim gets ALWAYS paid. If your vehicle is uninsured, a public fund -made with quotes paid from all the insurance contracts- will take care of the compensation. If your vehicle is insured, but you are not the title holder -the insurance contract, not the vehicle- or you are but are DUI or your vehicle has not being inspected before the deadline, the insurance will pay the victims, but then they will claim you the money -the amount depends on the level of irresponsability and the money to be paid-. In a worst case scenario, you can end up with all your possesions seized.
That can explain why people with no resources drive their vehicles even without insurance. What's the worst thing that can happen? Driving an uninsured car is a minor offense, so only a fine will be given. Killing somebody is a serious crime, but only if you were reckless. So, you can drive your car uninsured, because as long as you are not DUI or speeding, nothing too serious can happen to you if you don't have possessions.
And regarding the prices, it's true that any heavy vehicle can cause more harm than a motorcycle. But statistics say that bikes crash more often than buses and trucks, and as companies know that insuring a bike means high chances of paying, the prices are high. In Spain there is an undesired effect that jacks up the prices: the insurance companies have agreements in such a way that each company will pay their customers regardless who was at fault -considering full coverage-. So, if you accept a bike and your customer crashes with a 10-year-old car, the other company will pay its customer the car list value -negligible- and you will face expensive medical charges.
To overcome that, a group of people -we are about 12.000 people now, with a target of 15.000- is tryng to create a "mutual". Every one will put 300 euro down to constitute the mutual funds, that will be used to cover the indemnizations. The purpose is not to sign agreements with any insurance company, going to court if it's necesary to clarify responsabilities and make culprits pay. That's based on statistics that more than 50% bike-related accidents are not because the biker's fault.
