Posted on 01/16/2017 2:02:58 PM PST by Drango
Protesters may want to think twice about blocking roads in North Dakota.
Republican lawmakers in the state introduced a bill last week in the legislature that would not hold motorists liable for negligently running over someone obstructing a roadway. The bill was introduced in response to a year of protests over a proposed pipeline near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.
"A driver of a motor vehicle who negligently causes injury or death to an individual obstructing vehicular traffic on a public road, street, or highway may not be held liable for any damages," the bill reads. "A driver of a motor vehicle who unintentionally causes injury or death to an individual obstructing vehicular traffic on a public road, street, or highway is not guilty of an offense."
Lawmakers told the Bismarck Tribune that the bill is needed after protesters blocked traffic during oil pipeline protests.
"It’s shifting the burden of proof from the motor vehicle driver to the pedestrian,” Rep. Keith Kempenich told the paper. (Roads) are not there for the protesters. They’re intentionally putting themselves in danger."
The bill will be heard by the North Dakota's House Transportation Committee on Friday.
Interesting!
Tell that to Reginald Denny.
You get out of a situation like that because mobs will murder you.
What if they are a Communist Feminazi Liberal Hippy?
A nice four wheel drive with a couple of feet of clearance should just about do it.
The solution is to drive 5 mph. They have ample time to avoid any kind of danger. Then the choice falls back onto them and if they stay in the road when everyone else got out of the way, they made that decision.
I don't think it was addressed since such people don't obstruct traffic or harass citizens........
“How is this bill going to distinguish between “protestors” and people merely walking along the side of the road?”...
First, the “bill” is NOT going to be driving a truck or a car. It is a law specifically to notify IDIOTS to stay out of the traffic lanes. If the people on the side of the road don’t know enough to stay the hell off the roads, so be it. Disrupting traffic deliberately is far different than just walking along.
Who knows if these are not ambush situations. If they do it by an overpass, bricks and crap can come down on you, you can get swarmed and pulled from your cars.
Nah, it’d just roll up on top of them and stall with the back wheels spinning. You need one of those SUV’s that go all crazy on the road and drive all over the place, with a nice bull bar on the front.
It is screwed up. Immensely.
I keep expecting Christ coming back every day.
The bill says “unintentionally”. How can something unintentional be morally wrong?
In California you have to stop when a pedestrian enters a crosswalk. I’m not talking about at a light, just in any old crosswalk.
“To slay a man is a serious thing, and should only be done in self-defense or in a just war.”
Read the opening post again:
“A driver of a motor vehicle who unintentionally causes injury or death...”
See the word UNINTENTIONALLY?
Ah yes, the culture of Life.
Bricks and rocks are lethal weapons in the context of being thrown at or dropped on moving motor vehicles.
No, a distinction like that would make the law unconstitutional. Just don’t block the roadways, no matter how important you think your cause is.
Bonus points, like in Scrabble. Double Hit Score.
Is there a point and scoring system?
reading comprehension...
Yep, and as it was written “Ramming Speed”
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