If someone knowingly puts themselves into an unsafe position, they made a mistake. Period. If you know that cars are whipping around corners at unsafe speeds, a

If someone knowingly puts themselves into an unsafe position, they made a mistake. Period. If you know that cars are whipping around corners at unsafe speeds, and you choose to ride (or walk) there anyhow, then I don't have much pity if something bad happens. Are they a victim? Yes. Should some blame be put on them for putting themselves in that situation? Absolutely. Do stupid things, win stupid prizes. Simultaneously, the driver knows that they're controlling a heavy machine, and that they might need to stop suddenly for various reasons. They have a responsibility to operate it safely, according to reasonable expectations of the environment that they're driving in. "I was going too fast to stop in time" isn't defensible.