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I'm right there with you, but it's worth saying presumed liability is just for civil cases, even in the Netherlands.
HousecatHST-
Yeah, absolutely but it still seems to ingrain an idea of responsibility and more importantly liability that deters people from this whole idea of SMIDSY that in the UK has turned into a universal defence clause for every shade of incompetence under the sun when in charge of a potentially lethal machine. The fact is-and as cities like Paris or Rotterdam show-there is absolutely no need for so many cyclists to die on the roads, and when the SMIDSY route is taken away people will just have to own their own shit behaviour rather than have the courts whitewash their consciences for them.
People here seem more concerned about their insurance premiums than human life anyway so perhaps it would be more effective too.
deleted
this case has really put a nice big official stamp on my general perception of how the UK establishment treats cyclists.
Having already been hit by the car (from behind on a very clear day by a driver who was arrested at the scene based on witness testimony he was driving recklessly but not taken to court or penalised in any way) I've been quite aware of the failings of the legal system and put it down to lack of resources, i.e I didn't die and wasn't left with life changing physical injuries so they were less inclined to spend money on a prosecution.
This case actually just shows there's a political and cultural bias that won't be changed in my lifetime and that every time you go for a ride you have to accept that if anything happens and you get killed, no matter how gratuitously stupid and avoidable the circumstances are, that your family and friends could be left in the same position as Mr Mason's.
It's disgusting and I want to move to a country like the Netherlands with automatic driver responsibility for accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists, if the UK had the same the roads would be far far safer.
Rant over. RIP Mr Mason.