Am I being paranoid ?

[FROSTY:Me]

The latest move by the powers that be is a proposal that You can be prosecuted anywhere anytime for dangerous/careless use of a motor vehicle.
Its been bought about by the idiot 4wd drivers driving on private land and hurting their passengers BUT.
Senario--Its an open practice day at Pukie.
I'm out on my race bike practicing and colide with a bloke on a roadie sending him into the armco.
Currently its a case of -Ohh well thats life
But with this proposed law as i see it I could be done for dangerous use.
Am I just being paranoid??

[James Deuce]

No. I am sure there is already a Shyster Firm, errr, Law Firm setting up a special division for just such a happenstance.

[Devil]

I read about this and couldnt really believe it. Ill reserve proper judgement till I see something with more detail than a newspaper article.

[vifferman]

But with this proposed law as i see it I could be done for dangerous use.
Am I just being paranoid??

That was my initial thought when I read the article: that it would open things up for people being prosecuted when someone gets hurt or killed in motorsports, whereas at present the participants just accept the risks associated with the sports. Which is how it should be, unless someone is behaving deliberately dangerously or recklessly, in which case there are probably already grounds for further action to be taken.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if it goes that way - it fits in with all the other stupid PC laws protecting people from their own stupidity. If something goes wrong or someone gets killed - better make a law to stop it happening.
(If I was Hitcher I would've made some clever comment about hobbyhorses pawing the floor of the gargre and wating to burst through the door...
But my head is bad, so I won't.)

[Paul in NZ]

It was worse than that. It was prompted by a 4WD moron that ran into people sitting at a picnic table.

The Police didn't really have much to charge them with (stupidity not yet being illegal) and I can understand where they (the Police) are coming from on this one.

It does create some issues though! I cannot imagine the dirt bike community being too thrilled!

Cheers

[FROSTY:Me]

Yea Im worndering about exactly that.
Quite often (I think) those brilliant passing moves that work are right on the edge of a disaster. Pull it off and you're a hero -stuff it up and get done for careless use.
And who decides whats dangerous??
Ok-another example. --At practice on turn one at Taupo I ran wide to see what would happen. Hoon was right behind me expecting me to turn in normally -we colided Does he get done for following tooo close?
Or perhaps me for following an incorrect line?

[Paul in NZ]

Oooohh... I think it would be drawing a VERY long bow to suggest activities on a proper race track were going to result in a prosecution.

Getting pissed and doing donuts on your neighbours front lawn then suddenly getting traction and running over the Seventh day Adventists strolling down his driveway might be a different matter though!

Cheers

[Blakamin]

Getting pissed and doing donuts on your neighbours front lawn then suddenly getting traction and running over the Seventh day Adventists strolling down his driveway might be a different matter though!

There's my saturdays stuffed then!

Surely they couldnt get it happening on tracks??? you would just have to sign a disclaimer before you raced

[James Deuce]

There's my saturdays stuffed then!

Surely they couldnt get it happening on tracks??? you would just have to sign a disclaimer before you raced

The disclaimer would mean squat if there was legislation that could over ride it. A race track could still be argued as being off road.

In Frosty's example above though, always remember there is no correct line on a racetrack, only the line that helps you beat the guy in front. The onus (not anus, you deviants!) is on the following rider not to bonk into the person in front of them.

[Hitcher]

If a criminal act has been committed, then surely some action is required?

In a rugby match if some pissed off spectator wanders onto the pitch and slugs the ref or a halfback, then they can get done with assault.

If you recklessly discharge a firearm in the general direction of your best mate who's wearing a day-glow orange swanndri who you thought at the time looked a bit like a deer, you get done for manslaughter, or worse.

If you're driving your Mitsi Pawanker over some sand dunes and you crush the life out of a six-year-old who's building a sand castle, you should expect to get done for reckless endangerment, or worse.

If you cut in front of somebody on your bike at the end of the main straight at Manfeild when that other person had the race line and you cause them to lose control of their bike, impale themselves and croak, "that's life"?? No consequences??

Is my hobby horse going deaf or should I open the gargre door so it can better hear what you guys are saying?

[toads]

I think everyone regardless of age or whatever should be responsible for their actions, accidents can and always will happen, but I am sick and tired of random, meaningless legislation being passed through parliament, that cannot and will not be enforced anyway. I agree with Paul that stupidity hasn't yet been made illegal, but I really think it should be and then all bases are covered, it will only then boil down to the law enforcement then to determine what the defination of stupidity is!

[Blakamin]

If you cut in front of somebody on your bike at the end of the main straight at Manfeild when that other person had the race line and you cause them to lose control of their bike, impale themselves and croak, "that's life"?? No consequences??

Is my hobby horse going deaf or should I open the gargre door so it can better hear what you guys are saying?

I'm saying that is part of motorsport, not like the other scenarios

[Hitcher]

I'm saying that is part of motorsport, not like the other scenarios

And if the opposition first-five sidesteps you and you stiff-arm tackle and kill him, that's not part of rugby?

[Devil]

Its all good to look at the legal options when there is an accident, but hold on here guys, you can get charged with this shit without anyone else being involved!

You can do dumb shit on the road, not hit anything and still get nailed for it.
Is this going to be ported to anywhere?

*stomp* I wanna be able to do whatever dumb shit I like in the middle of nowhere

[toads]

*stomp* I wanna be able to do whatever dumb shit I like in the middle of nowhere

Well Devil cheer up you will be able to continue doing dumb stuff in the middle of nowhere, you will just have to look left and right to make sure there are no plods on duty first.