LogFAQs > #976323847

A_Good_Boy posted...

I've heard of the adage "if you're going to kill someone then do it with a car", because for some strange reason the sentences for vehicular homicide and other related crimes are a complete and utter joke.

I wasn't the only one who was told that many times. But yes, basically killing people with a car is seen as less. I think it's because most people can sympathize killing someone in some "FREAK ACCIDENT" or so and think if that were me I'd want the sentence to be less. Instead of taking responsibility.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/4/9/AABn_6AAE4DF.png
This is of the cases WHERE it went to court and it didn't just disappear.
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/5/0/AABn_6AAE4DG.png
This is all in just 2014 where people did what I did. Just search for sentences of cyclists who were killed by cars and see if anything pops up. It's very hard, but most of the time they get off light. If you DO get charged for murder which is pretty hard (murder implies you were intending to kill vs accidentally kill) you get the normal sentence. Otherwise you get a slap on the wrist essentially.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/9bzdpv/you-can-kill-anyone-you-want-with-your-car-as-long-as-you-dont-really-mean-it

Anyway here's a vice article that sums up that adage essentially. Here's some "choice parts":

Nationwide, incidents like Canns often result in misdemeanor charges, tickets, or nothing. Leah Shahum from the San Francisco Bike Coalition told the New York Times last year that her organization does not know of a single case of a cyclist fatality in which the driver was prosecuted, except for DUI or hit-and-run. Kristin Smith, also of the SF Coalition, says that Last year, four people were hit and killed in San Francisco and no charges were ever brought, including for a collision captured on video that showed the driver was at fault. Last year in New York City, the bike-advocacy organization Times Up pushed for changes in police investigations of bicyclist deaths by painting chalk-body outlines on streets, marked with words familiar from NYPD reports: No Criminality Suspected.

Portland, Oregon, attorney Ray Thomas explains that DAs dont like to go after some soccer dad who made a mistake The police, prosecutors, and courts dont feel its a mistake that should net someone jail time There are criminally negligent homicide laws. But [a crash] has got to be really, really bad.

League of Illinois Bicyclists executive director Ed Barsotti explains why cases arent prosecuted in his state: We are left in that situation where you have to be charged with a felony, and its really tough to meet that standard, or youre stuck with the usual traffic citations. We and many others are interested in having that prosecution gap closed. Illinois created a Distracted Driving Task Force in 2008, which generated a list of laws for new charges against drivers who hit bicyclists. Unfortunately, for lack of political will, none of those laws passed.

I guess in this case the kids made a video of themselves doing it. If they hadn't it would honestly be 30 days and he's out. The video is the damning part.