This is the biggest problem IMO, just look at these 2 pictures and really think about it for a second.
By applying some common sense in into your racing you would hardly have to read the rules, i barely do actually.. unless its a legue, but as long as you rely on traditional common sense you will be 80-90% on the way really... perhaps even more.
I get what you mean I mean what were they thinking in that second picture anyone with an ounce of common sense would realise that the bottom forklift would be overloaded and therefore would require extra counter balancing at the rear... hmm maybe like a full 44 gallon drum stuck on the back, jeez doesn't anyone think before they act theses days
Defending your line is part of racing, however if a driver is drafting me along the BL1 straight, I cannot swerve this way and that to stop that driver overtaking me, the most I can do within the rules, is move from one side of the track to the other, once, then move back again, and onto the racing line for the next corner, if a driver moves more times than that, it turns the situation from defending to blocking, the latter being one the things that really "grind my gears" another is, drivers that swerve around trying to stop you getting behind them to get the draft in the first place.
Of course most passes are made into/out of, corners, and if you are on the outside during braking, and the passing car inside you with good overlap, there is not really much defending you can do, IMO squeezing a passing driver over towards the apex during braking, is an attempt at intentional crashing, the most one can hope for is that the inside passing car overshoots the apex, allowing you to "switch back" and regain the position, if not then they are already past, and its a case of tucking in behind ready to attack again.
Another thing Ive noticed when passing under brakes into slow turns is that some drivers thin its ok to turn into the passing car on corner exits, If someone is passing me side by side under brakes me on the outside, if I manage to turn in side by side I make sure I use all the road on corner exit to allow the other driver enough road, this is also the path of greatest acceleration, I expect the other driver to allow at least 1 cars width on the exit. Some drivers in this situation think its ok to finish their corner trajectory in the center of the track, fully knowing this restricts the car along the inside of them.
Sometimes you have to concede the place and attack in the next sector/lap, in the same way that sometimes you have to give up a pass in order to avoid bumping the car you are trying to pass.
IRL this is called "living to survive another day" or "safety first"
I try to always drive with zero contact, and treat others as I would like to be treated.
Maybe my my karmic mindset puts me at a dissadvantage in LFS public servers, maybe not.
I like to "race" others and relish a good battle, its the best part of LFS, but everyone needs to play by the rules, when it comes to blocking or bumping into others when its avoidable because as has been said lagg turns the slightest rub into an impact that can send you literally flying
And I agree in all parts to your response. However, combine that network lag, most public server racers take risks and that it is only a game, i'm more than happy with a bit of door rubbing if everything else is fair and square. Of course I avoid contact as much as I can, I hate those moments where cars touch and they suddenly get glued together no matter what you do, and you both crash and burn.
But if i'm engaged in a great few laps with a good racer, paint gets swapped and often if the racing is good, neither of us care. Even with my Track IR pro which is a massive help to close, non contact racing, it's very hard in a game to race closely at full race pace and keep it contact free.
The LFS official rules are really similar to the ones according to the FIA rules: if both cars are side-by-side, they'll have to divide the space. Otherwise, feel free to fight.
I mean what were they thinking in that second picture 
anyone with an ounce of common sense would realise that the bottom forklift would be overloaded and therefore would require extra counter balancing at the rear... hmm maybe like a full 44 gallon drum stuck on the back, jeez doesn't anyone think before they act theses days 
