Ignorance, as an excuse

[classic33]

Can ignorance of the meanings or road signs & markings ever be held up to be a valid reason for not doing what the signs/markings tell you.
After a driver had the front end of the car booted(daft action trying to push him away) he claimed that because he didn't know what the markings & signs meant, he didn't have to heed them.

Result was that his car, if I believe him, was sent flying into the back end of a parked bus.

 

[Davidc]

I've always heard that on legal stuff, which road signs are, ignorance of the law is no defence against breaking the law.

 

[yello]

Ignorance of the law is no defence... apparently.

Certainly, having a driving licence means you (should) know the rules of the road. Perhaps they didn't have a licence though!

 

[bonj2]

short answer, 'no'

what marking/sign did he not understand, and what actually happened?

 

[John the Monkey]

...although some Manchester drivers are trying to claim back their fines for being in bus lanes illegally because the signs "Bus / Taxi / Cycles" at the start of the lanes didn't have the word "ONLY" on them.

 

[marinyork]

...although some Manchester drivers are trying to claim back their fines for being in bus lanes illegally because the signs "Bus / Taxi / Cycles" at the start of the lanes didn't have the word "ONLY" on them.

Probably copycat tactics. The most senior bus/tram gate in Sheffield had this one run and run ages ago. Problem is motorists do genuinely seem fairly poor at recognising/spotting/understanding/willfully ignoring blue signs.

 

[thomas]

Probably copycat tactics. The most senior bus/tram gate in Sheffield had this one run and run ages ago. Problem is motorists do genuinely seem fairly poor at recognising/spotting/understanding/willfully ignoring blue signs.

Blue signs are advisory anyway. As for ignorance..."I didn't know it was illegal to kill someone" - that wouldn't work, so it wouldn't for anything else.

 

[marinyork]

Blue signs are advisory anyway. As for ignorance..."I didn't know it was illegal to kill someone" - that wouldn't work, so it wouldn't for anything else.

No they aren't. Many common blue signs mean giving positive instruction and can be backed up by law. A lot of the others are information. There are some that are advisory but the ones that spring to mind are for bikes.

The most commonly ignored signs I find are the bus/cycle/whatever only, no motor vehicles, no vehicles and no right turn. Some of them seem to be down to ignorance and others such as no right turn and no motor vehicles are down to deliberately blanking it out of your consciousness.

 

[Abitrary]

I spend quite a bit of time walking around - if not with the express intention - then at least the possibility that I could break laws and plead ignorance of them.

I even imagine taking the law makers to the european court of human rights on some charge of not teaching me laws whilst I was at school, and the charge would have a long latin name.

 

[swee'pea99]

It is a basic principle of law, with a similar - which is to say absolute - status to 'innocent until proven guilty' - that ignorance is no defense. Saying 'I didn't know it was illegal' is, legally speaking, a waste of breath.

 

[Abitrary]

.

I bet it's not. I bet that only works for the top 10 commandment laws.

I have a gut feeling this subject is more tricky than we think. People often ask me why I didn't get into the law because of these sort of instincts.

I reckon you *can* plead ignorance for 99% percent of law, albeit obscure stuff.

 

[gavintc]

I bet it's not. I bet that only works for the top 10 commandment laws.

I have a gut feeling this subject is more tricky than we think. People often ask me why I didn't get into the law because of these sort of instincts.

I reckon you *can* plead ignorance for 99% percent of law, albeit obscure stuff.

yawn.... abs is on the happy juice again.

 

[Abitrary]

yawn.... abs is on the happy juice again.

hehe, got a drunken late nite scottish looking for some company... time for some fun!

hey you doin' yeng chinky man, eh?

 

[Over The Hill]

I would say a car driver must know signs to be granted a licence to drive but a ped or cyclist does so by right so should not be obliged to know. Othewise should a six year old kid be had up for breaking a cycling applicable sign ("dismount" etc)

 

[Noodley]

... time for some fun!

It used to be when you had some original ideas and a bit of bohemia about you. Now you resort to standard drivel. I'm a bit disappointed. Maybe I had expectations higher than your abilities? Maybe I interpreted your earlier posts incorrectly and you are actually a complete tool instead of a visionary?