A motorcyclist injured in a traffic accident involving a car was deemed to be one-third responsible for the accident by a court (February 3). The motorcyclist was trying to overtake the car on a main road when suddenly the car driver stopped to turn into a secondary road. The court concluded that when the car driver "had started to turn off the principal road, the motorcyclist had already started to overtake her, and this meant that it was not safe for her to turn the car".

In his wisdom, the judge concluded that the motorcyclist bore one-third responsibility for the accident. In my opinion, this is a travesty of justice, as it effectively means that a motorcycle driver cannot ever overtake a car, as the motorcyclist cannot be sure that each and every car driver is aware of the motorcycle at the rear.

I know this from practical experience as, even with a bright light and loud horn, some car drivers are simply totally oblivious to anything behind them and to the side.