> just last night had to mash the brakes after seeing an old man with walking canes emerge from the glare of an oncoming cars lights right in front of me while doing 70kph on a country road.

You should always adapt your speed to the prevailing conditions. 70pkh on a country road after dark is fast at the best of times, but combined with “I don’t see great at night” is grounds to reconsider your driving habits.

If you had happened to hit that old man with cane, it would have been 100% you at fault both legally and morally, and depending on the outcomes, that’s jail time.