Why are some people so against doing things that might help save their life. Surely not everyone wants a Darwin award? It's not that 'the man' is out to spoil your fun, or force you to do something, but rather that people can see what offers a safety benefit - lighting, helmets, protective clothing, reflectively clothing, a bell/horn or whatever.
We want Britain to become a country in which people feel that cycling is just like as simple as walking, but faster so viable instead of driving. This will increase the health of the nation, reduce pollution, and save lives.
We accept that cyclists will have to carry lights and a lock with them, and that these will add time to the trip but we don't want people to be burdened to the extent that safety savings are lost in reducing the the number of cyclists.
Sure, I have reflective clothing which I might use for a long trip, but for a 10-20 minute daily end to end journey, forcing people to wear such clothing will dissuade people.
Plus in some places, the longest journey from the edge to the centre or back is 10 minutes anyway, These are places where people don't need to drive at all on a daily basis unless their circumstances are exceptional (not all can physically ride).
Regarding any presumed liability, I certainly don't like the idea of this. But the assumption seems to be the other way round, that the cyclist is to blame. For example, if a cyclist isn't in the cycle lane, the police will often take no action. This would be the case, even if the cycle lane was about to disappear, the cyclist wanted to turn right or go straight ahead, the cycle lane was in the "door zone" [Just the other day I had someone open a door all the way as I was cycling downhill at about 25mph. It was scary, but being wise, I was twice the width of the door from the car so zoomed past unscathed].
What I would like to see, however, is that any motorist or cyclist is liable if he/she delays in preventative action. For example, if a cyclist is in the middle of a motorway (and clearly to blame), any driver who didn't immediately slam the brakes would still be equally liable. (This is an extreme example, but too many people reach for the horn/bell before the brakes.)