Bartholomew Roberts
Moderator
The discussion in this thread got me to thinking:http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=440836
In Texas, and some other states, Castle Doctrine laws extend to your vehicle. So by staying in your vehicle, you gain important legal protections as well as help deescalate many situations.
However, in that rare occasion where you do find someone who is intent on offering you serious bodily injury or worse, staying in the vehicle means you are immobile in a tiny box that doesn't offer much in the way of protection.
This lead me to wonder about whether there are any "bright line" rules regarding when you should stay in your vehicle vs. when you should exit the vehicle in a road rage type of situation.
I would propose the following rule for critique:
1. As long as your vehicle is not blocked in, you should stay in the vehicle. The reasoning being that the vehicle offers you more mobility so long as it is not blocked in, the legal cover of Castle Doctrine, and some very minimal protection.
I am also interested if anyone else has any suggestions on clear criteria to use to evaluate the best course of action in this type of scenario. I'm especially interested in a scenario where the vehicle is blocked in - at this point you seem to be trading mobility for Castle Doctrine - at what point do you give that up?
In Texas, and some other states, Castle Doctrine laws extend to your vehicle. So by staying in your vehicle, you gain important legal protections as well as help deescalate many situations.
However, in that rare occasion where you do find someone who is intent on offering you serious bodily injury or worse, staying in the vehicle means you are immobile in a tiny box that doesn't offer much in the way of protection.
This lead me to wonder about whether there are any "bright line" rules regarding when you should stay in your vehicle vs. when you should exit the vehicle in a road rage type of situation.
I would propose the following rule for critique:
1. As long as your vehicle is not blocked in, you should stay in the vehicle. The reasoning being that the vehicle offers you more mobility so long as it is not blocked in, the legal cover of Castle Doctrine, and some very minimal protection.
I am also interested if anyone else has any suggestions on clear criteria to use to evaluate the best course of action in this type of scenario. I'm especially interested in a scenario where the vehicle is blocked in - at this point you seem to be trading mobility for Castle Doctrine - at what point do you give that up?