Quote:
Originally Posted by Piwoslaw
IMO jaywalking laws aren't as much to protect the lives of peds, but to protect innocent drivers from hitting morons.
|
Gee, I thought they were about having some rules that apply to everyone on the street - not only drivers with licenses and 'deep pockets' when it comes to paying fines.
Quote:
|
I mean sure, it would be nice to have certain DNA sequences eliminated from the gene pool, but I'd prefer that my car is not the means by which this is done. Even if I was obeying every single law, and the pedestrian jumped out from behind a bush right into my headlights, then I still get punished for unintentionally causing someone's death, if not by the court, then by my conscience. I killed a moron, but still a human being.
|
You "get punished"? No, if you
feel "punished" that is your sense of guilt for something you didn't cause. Guilt of that sort is totally worthless. It helps no one and accomplishes nothing.
Quote:
|
Yes, the police sometimes get anal about catching jaywalkers, like arresting someone for crossing an empty road.
|
Do people
really get "arrested" in Poland for jaywalking? (I doubt that.) Or is this dramatic hyperbole and exaggeration on your part? Does enforcing existing laws automatically make police to be "anal"? Or is this just your prevailing sentiment about law enforcement?
Quote:
|
But the line has to be drawn somewhere: If they were to allow people to cross when the nearest car is 500m away, then way shouldn't they when the car is 300m away? 100m? 10m?
|
We can either have laws and enforce them or have no law and let the foolish experience the consequences of their actions. You seem uncomfortable with either. The Liberal/Socialist/Nanny state approach is to have laws against virtually everything but usually not enforce them. Ultimately that leads to disrespect for the law, with good reason.