Seriously? We're going to blame the victims here? Cycling should not be a life-or-death activity, especially in designated lanes when observing all traffic rules.
I'm still the victim if, say, I'm walking in shady part of town at night, looking at my phone instead of paying attention, and I get mugged. But just because I'm the victim in this scenario, it doesn't mean I can't or shouldn't do more to protect myself from a bad outcome.
Would you rather be more vigilant, or increase your chances of a hospital visit? I'm talking about the reality of the situation here, not the ideal world where everyone on the road behaves like we think they should.
It's a very American attitude to say things like "don't visit that part of town, it's a bad neighbourhood". What about things like "that part of town is in rough shape, we should work to revitalize it" or "I shouldn't have to live in fear when walking down the street, what can we do to mitigate that fear".
Changing attitudes and the environment that produces them takes time.
Pedestrian? Cyclist? $50 fine.
That you face stiffer penalties for pirating a DVD or smoking a joint speaks to how broken the legal framework is.
The way I see it, you can accept the reality that you're engaging in a more dangerous activity and take the proper attitude, or you can rage about your ideals from a hospital bed and hope that'll somehow make a difference.
As a motorcyclist, I simply expect that drivers are paying no attention, and it's on me to protect myself. I can go your way, but that's cold comfort to broken bones and torn skin - and yes, I have been wrecked by driver inattention, so this is not merely academic.
I have a very hard time with this modern tendency to enpower victimhood, but as my name indicates, I'm an old man. Might be a generational thing.