Volvo: if one of our cars hits you, its now more likely your fault since you didn't apply our line of reflective paints to your person and property before crossing the intersection.
I'm not in favor of shifting the blame, in an accident between a 3-ton vehicle and the 200lb union of human and pedal-operated-device, to the more vulnerable.
> I'm not in favor of shifting the blame, in an accident between a 3-ton vehicle and the 200lb union of human and pedal-operated-device, to the more vulnerable.
I agree strongly with this sentiment, even if I think you're putting words in Volvo's mouth that simply aren't there. Although historically blame has transitioned that way.
That would be closer to the point I was trying to make, that it is an unintentional blame shift. I don't think Volvo as a company knows that it is doing it, but it creates a situation where people unsympathetic to cyclists can point to an accident and not only say "well he shoulda worn a helmet" (if that situation applies), but can now add "well he shoulda sprayed on the hi-visibility paint" to their list of reasons to say that it is the cyclist's fault.
What a strange way to interpret this. Not sure if humor or genuine bitter pessimism.
In either case volvo seems to have a genuine interest in cyclist safety. They have another system in their cars that will automatically brake if a collision is imminent with a cyclist.
Mostly humor, but a little pessimism as well. A little hard to imagine, but I was thinking of a scenario in the future where a news report on some cyclist accident will not only mention "the cyclist was not wearing a helmet", but also "the cyclist did not apply hi-visibility paint".
Thanks for the link, I was not aware of other Volvo technologies for cyclist safety. It seems Volvo does genuinely care for cyclists. I was wary that they were continuing a precedent of saddling cyclists with the responsibility in an accident, but if they are doing things on the vehicle side, then its a two-pronged assault for increasing cyclist safety, and something I can get behind.
7 comments
[ 2.2 ms ] story [ 32.5 ms ] threadI'm not in favor of shifting the blame, in an accident between a 3-ton vehicle and the 200lb union of human and pedal-operated-device, to the more vulnerable.
I agree strongly with this sentiment, even if I think you're putting words in Volvo's mouth that simply aren't there. Although historically blame has transitioned that way.
In either case volvo seems to have a genuine interest in cyclist safety. They have another system in their cars that will automatically brake if a collision is imminent with a cyclist.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/business/volvo-business...
Thanks for the link, I was not aware of other Volvo technologies for cyclist safety. It seems Volvo does genuinely care for cyclists. I was wary that they were continuing a precedent of saddling cyclists with the responsibility in an accident, but if they are doing things on the vehicle side, then its a two-pronged assault for increasing cyclist safety, and something I can get behind.