| > car drivers are (partially) legally responsible for accidents, even when a cyclist or pedestrian made the error Here in Norway the traffic law states[1] that everyone should be considerate, heedful and careful to avoid harm, and this stands above everything else. So you can indeed get (partial) blame even if the rest of the rules and regulations say you did nothing wrong. For example you can't just ram a cyclist or a pedestrian if you have the right of way, but you saw them, or should have seen them, in time to take avoiding action. Having a quick look at the NYS traffic rules[2] as a semi-random point of comparison, I'm assuming most states have something similar, it does say at the start that "no person shall operate a vehicle in a manner that will endanger any person or property". This seems to be similar in spirit but not quite the same. I guess I could see the NY courts could find in favor of the driver where the Norwegian courts would not, depending on how they draw the line of endangering. [1]: https://lovdata.no/lov/1965-06-18-4/§3 [2]: https://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/trafrule.pdf |
The US is not really a developed country with stable rule of law in the same way most countries in Western Europe are.