Re: Car stolen? You're on the hook for the damage the thief does.

On 2008-07-14, Alan Baker <alangbaker@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
In article <YqudnRoVkdZqNObVnZ2dnUVZ_sednZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxx>,
Brent P <tetraethylleadREMOVETHIS@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On 2008-07-14, Alan Baker <alangbaker@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
In article <-qidnU3luKTtCubVnZ2dnUVZ_hjinZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxx>,
Brent P <tetraethylleadREMOVETHIS@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

from fark... where else?

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/article-1034997/Driver-hit-insurance-cla
im-
police--car-dented-chasing-stolen-vehicle.html

<...>

ason West.s vehicle was recovered by officers following a 30-minute
pursuit, but at the end of it their unmarked car had received £1,000
worth of damage.

They finally sent him the bill five months later.

<...>

Because he left the keys in the ignition.

i.e. he was negligent.

Conceptually that's the same as the 'well look at how she was dressed'
excuse for a rapist.

No, it's not.

Yes it is. It's excusing the actions of person A because person B or his
property was a target for one reason or another.

Cars are potentially dangerous and it is up to the owner of a vehicle to
take reasonable steps to ensure that his car doesn't cause harm. Leaving
the keys in the car could have resulted in a child stepping into the car
and hurting someone.

Ladders are potentially dangerous and it is up to the owner of a ladder
to take reasonable steps to ensure that his ladder doesn't cause harm.

A glass of water is potentially dangerous and it is up to the owner of a
glass of water to take reasonable steps to ensure that his glass of
doesn't cause harm.

I could go on displaying other examples, but the major flaw is that you
say the object, in this case a car, can cause harm. The car isn't
causing harm, the person driving it is.

Let's say you leave a kitchen knife out on your BBQ and someone steals
it and uses it to kill another person. Does that make you responsible?
How about if they take a rock or brick from your landscaping and then
uses that to damage property or harm/kill a person? What then?

It's called *duty of care*

Lawsuit happy society where those truely responsible aren't held
responsible is more like it.

.

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