Britain may reform traffic liability law

America's highways are a web of danger.

A car-versus-bike crash almost never ends well for the cyclist - and often ends worse for their wallet, because people in high places are hell-bent on making sure cyclists shoulder all the liability.

British government officials, however, are heading in the opposite direction (as of several days ago).

Transportation officials in the U.K. are considering new laws to shift civil liability for crashes to the larger, more powerful vehicle - a move that is long overdue. In fact, Germany and the Netherlands already have such laws.

Privileges imply responsibilities. If you insist on a hulking vehicle, you have to accept the responsibility that comes with it.

This shift of liability wouldn't extend to criminal law. Only civil law would be affected. And just as motorists would face increased liability in mishaps with bikes, cyclists would be held more liable in crashes with pedestrians.

We also have to remember that bikes predate cars. Many roads in Britain as well as America were built not for 8-foot-wide SUV's but for bicycles.

The United States should follow Britain's lead with all haste. Write your state legislators.

(Source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6841326.ece)