Is 6 months all a biker's life is worth? In the news today!

[SARGE]

It was more a dig at Sarge,

brave boy...

[PrincessBandit]

My husband has driven in the States a few times and has commented on how easy it is to end up on the wrong side of the road. It's no consolation to the bereaved family, but it could so easily happen to anyone.
6 months home detention does seem awfully lenient, but surely all the details of the accident were taken into account before handing out the sentence.

[SARGE]

The sentence is BULLSHIT , Someones life is worth a hell of alot more than 6mths Home D.

ok.. lets put this in perspective for a moment

(DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT DEFENDING THIS WOMAN)

lets just say for a moment..that you are driving to the shops with the kids in the back of the car and you become distracted by something they do and ACCIDENTALLY cross the line and hit a bike head on, killing the rider,


how long are you going to volunteer to go to prison for?..

there was no malice in this womans actions.. no premeditation.. just an accident.... being from the States..i'll let you know that it IS very easy to end up in the wrong lane.. much like its going to be easy for a kiwi to end up on the wrong lane in the States...hell..i've been here since 01 and sometimes STILL do it..

you've made some haven't you?

[Bren]

easy on the Yank Bashing Boyo.. ..coulda been anyone..

coulda been anyone yup....a spic, or an aussie, or a pommie....shit coulda been a kiwi too...maybe I shoulda rephrased it as "stupid american bitch", cos honestly I dont know if she was north or south of the Mason Dixie line...Heck she coulda been a southerner eh....

All I know is some poor girl is dead and this other woman got fuck all punishment for ending a life!

[James Deuce]

Hey!

I was first.

I demand the greater share of indignant outrage.

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...ad.php?t=86738

[Forest]

you've made some haven't you?

Yes I've made mistakes before.

The difference is that I've never killed anyone.

[SARGE]

coulda been anyone yup....a spic, or an aussie, or a chink....shit coulda been a kiwi too...maybe I shoulda rephrased it as "stupid american bitch", cos honestly I dont know if she was north or south of the Mason Dixie line...Heck she coulda been a southerner eh....

All I know is some poor girl is dead and this other woman got fuck all punishment for ending a life!

please read my above post before you blow a gasket...

and BTW..


its the Mason DIXON line

[Bren]

Hey!

I was first.

I demand the greater share of indignant outrage.

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...ad.php?t=86738

My apoligy James, I did do a search, really!....you can have all the indignant outrage you want....

[SARGE]

Yes I've made mistakes before.

The difference is that I've never killed anyone.

i have..

wasnt an accident either...

and let me tell you.. there isn't a day goes by that i dont feel it bro..

im sure that this dead woman's family isn't the only one suffering .. the woman who killed her will be suffering as well...

its not an easy thing to take a life.

[James Deuce]

ok.. lets put this in perspective for a moment

(DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT DEFENDING THIS WOMAN)

lets just say for a moment..that you are driving to the shops with the kids in the back of the car and you become distracted by something they do and ACCIDENTALLY cross the line and hit a bike head on, killing the rider,


how long are you going to volunteer to go to prison for?..

there was no malice in this womans actions.. no premeditation.. just an accident.... being from the States..i'll let you know that it IS very easy to end up in the wrong lane.. much like its going to be easy for a kiwi to end up on the wrong lane in the States...hell..i've been here since 01 and sometimes STILL do it..

you've made some haven't you?

Depending on which state she crossed the centre line in she would have been facing vehicular manslaughter with a mandatory jail term.

Remember that this woman has maintained her innocence from the beginning and has at times used the defence that she didn't know we drove on the left instead of the right.

It's not the same as being distracted and crossing the centreline.

For the record if I kill someone on the road I'd expect a prison sentence, but most of the softcocks we share our society with expect to get away with stuff like that. It's an "accident" after all. It couldn't possibly be that I'm not up to driving on the road, could it?

I personally think that we have some judges in this country who, if they can't prove that the motorcyclist was at fault, will go out of their way to send a clear message to temporary NZers that they are worthless for daring to ride a bike on the road and will hand out the softest sentence they can come up with.

[Bren]

please read my above post before you blow a gasket...

and BTW..


its the Mason DIXON line

yeah i knew that....just winding you up...seein if you would bite!

[SARGE]

yeah i knew that....just winding you up...seein if you would bite!

uh huh...


again..


brave boy..

[Ixion]

I am conflicted on the question of gaol sentences in such cases.

On the one hand, the wrong side of road driver is one of my great horrors. And I wish them to be severely punished.

But, on the other, I not not really see that much is achieved by a gaol sentence in a case like this.

Gaol should not just be a knee jerk response to a wish for vengeance. The purposes of a gaol sentence should be at least one of
Removing a dangerous person from the community (they cant commit more crimes while locked up)
Making a criminal consider that crime is not worth it
Rehabilitation (unlikely, but it can happen)
Deterring others who might be tempted to offend in like manner

None of these seem relevant in the present case . The mistake was a genuine one, the likelihood of that person ever doing so again is pretty near zero. I am sure that she does indeed regret what happened , and, unlike say a bank robber, she got nothing out of it . Rehabilitation is not relevant. And I doubt that anyone else would be influenced by the case, since noone (very few , anyway) actually INTENDS to cause a crash.

So, what purpose would a gaol sentence serve?

Perhaps better would be fine for life. Every week , for the rest of your life you pay x% of your income . A constant reminder and one that is more likely to make others stop and think. Though, a poor suggestion at best, I fear.

Any sentence in such a case is really shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted. Efforts would be better focused on prevention, than on retribution.

[Bonez]

Hey!

I was first.

I demand the greater share of indignant outrage.

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...ad.php?t=86738

REPOST!!!! would have had more effect.


Or maybe not......................

[SARGE]

I am conflicted on the question of gaol sentences in such cases.

On the one hand, the wrong side of road driver is one of my great horrors. And I wish them to be severely punished.

But, on the other, I not not really see that much is achieved by a gaol sentence in a case like this.

Gaol should not just be a knee jerk response to a wish for vengeance. The purposes of a gaol sentence should be at least one of
Removing a dangerous person from the community (they cant commit more crimes while locked up)
Making a criminal consider that crime is not worth it
Rehabilitation (unlikely, but it can happen)
Deterring others who might be tempted to offend in like manner

None of these seem relevant in the present case . The mistake was a genuine one, the likelihood of that person ever doing so again is pretty near zero. I am sure that she does indeed regret what happened , and, unlike say a bank robber, she got nothing out of it . Rehabilitation is not relevant. And I doubt that anyone else would be influenced by the case, since noone (very few , anyway) actually INTENDS to cause a crash.

So, what purpose would a gaol sentence serve?

Perhaps better would be fine for life. Every week , for the rest of your life you pay x% of your income . A constant reminder and one that is more likely to make others stop and think. Though, a poor suggestion at best, I fear.

Any sentence in such a case is really shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted. Efforts would be better focused on prevention, than on retribution.

i am reminded of my numerous tootles up into the waitak's..some Asshat takes a racing line into my lane..50%-60% of their car is hanging over the line..into a blind left-hander..mostly European Kiwi's coming from Piha..(yes i see them in the car as i pass..)


that smacks of either malice or stupidity...