[Poohbah]

I've learned something from this thread. I've learned who NOT to trust behind the wheel of a car.

My late father served on an admiralty court that defined "reasonably prudent man" for all 7th Fleet admiralty cases.

That definition was "someone who checks for paper before sitting on the commode."

[bvw]

That suggests your father never suffered from the trots. Sometimes there is no time before, and the effort of the clean up after must be born. In other words, while checking for toilet paper before is prudent, sometimes it is not necessary -- other reasonable concerns dominate.

And in most cases one likes to apply the principle of "no harm, no foul". To do otherwise encourages an overabundance of litigation and pettiness.

[Chemist_Geek]

My late father served on an admiralty court that defined "reasonably prudent man" for all 7th Fleet admiralty cases.

That definition was "someone who checks for paper before sitting on the commode."

ROFL! Do you have the citation? I'm sure I'll eventually have an opportunity to use it...