unfortunately the law seems to have forgotten that driving is a priviledge, not a right
Actually, the law remembers this just fine. Sometimes it is inconsistently enforced,
In my experience, limited as it may be, that sometimes is very frequent. Quite often the penalties applied by the policing and justice systems seem quite eager to ensure that the driver remains on the road. I can remember reading about on instance in Texas where a driver had racked up seven DUI's before loosing his license and was able to get it back on appeal. The driver who killed Eilidh Cairns was found to have vision too poor to be driving without correction (which he did not have at the time) and was fined Ł400 including costs with no points. The driver who killed Maurive Broadbent, Dave Horrocks, Wayne Wilkes and Thomas Harland was found to be driving a vehicle that was unroadworthy at speeds inappropriate for the road considitions, Ł180 and had six points put on his license. The driver who killed Jason MacIntyre....
I could go on at length. I could post tale after tale where the police have refused to turn up to an accident. I could post more where they've turned up and decided that it's not worth bothering with. Can't be bothered with the paperwork, don't want to even issue an incident report number so an insurance claim can take place. Even those that do make it to court subject the victim to some arcane notion of what cyclists are expected to do on the roads. All the while a lot of sympathy and bias is afforded to the driver. Because of the social circles and communities that I'm a part of I really only keep up with the cycling aspect of things. A friend of mine in the Ramblers/Living Streets assures me that pedestrians often get and equally rough deal.
When I say that the law has forgotten, I'm not referring to the actual statues written down but those people who are employed, paid and entrusted with it's fair and equitable application are all too frequently letting down the most vulnerable to favour those that have demonstrated a lack of any reasonable regard for the rules they should abide by and the safety of those that they interact with. When it comes to the roads, those that embody and represent the law are collectively acting like a bunch of asshats. The shining examples of good practice are too few and far between.
Jeez I fucking harp on don't I. I should just sell all my bikes and buy a car.