Well I nearly lost one of my back passenger doors again today. And yet again the culprit was gossiping on a mobile phone, and just threw the door wide open without looking or as it seems to me even caring. But I wonder just how many people realise that they can be prosecuted for opening passenger doors carelessly.
They tell me that the offence consists of opening, causing or permitting a car door to be opened so as to cause injury or danger to any person. And yes that does mean by a passenger as well as the driver. And even if a child opened the door and his parent was present and knew the child was about to open the door, then the parent could be charged with permitting the offence. Or if junior opened the door on the say so of a parent then mummy or daddy could be guilty of causing the offence.
The prosecution does not have to prove carelessness; nor that someone was actually struck or injured. It is enough if the act caused danger. And danger it certainly does cause, just ask the poor old lass who was hit on the knees by a carelessly thrown open car door in Barrow town centre last week. And before you ask; no it wasn't a taxi it was one of those dreaded blue badge parking hogs.
9 comments:
Isn't that why proper taxicabs have the passenger doors interlocked with the handbrake (so that the doors cannot be opened until the handbrake is applied)? ;-)
Graham: Aye but that still don't stop them opening the door after you have stopped. it's more of an anti runner device eh!
I'm afraid that those of us who live in the country, lose our road sense when in the big city.
I'm glad your door wasn't ripped off. Did you have a word with them?
peggy: nope they were off like startled rabbits before I got the chance.
Whats the legal position of responsibility if the only fare you are carrying is a child. Say for example you were on a school run and no adult was with the child. Who is responsible legally in that case.
bill:You the driver I would guess.
My other pet hate while being a cab driver was the same idea ie throwing open doors carelessly but onto other cars or scraping walls on some of our tiny tight streets.
"Dreaded blue badge parking hogs"? My mother is disabled and has a blue badge so I guess you would consider her to be a "hog" too right? But I tell you what - how about you take her badge and her disability too? It would make her life a hell of a lot less unpleasant...
anon: I am more than willing to believe that your mother has a genuine disability along with many others. And no doubt she is entitled to her blue badge. I don't know where you live, but here in Barrow we have a large number of people who abuse this system for example the guy I spotted today parked badly on yellow lines outside a bookies. Looking closer at his blue badged estate car It was easy to spot the tools of the trade of a builder.
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