Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Jay w]

If what we read is the truth then it is a case of both parties playing a part in a horrific accident.

Had she not been texting then there is chance she would have seen him and he would not have been killed, so she should be punished for her part, but a custodial sentence, i am not convinced.

Had the cyclist not jumped the red light (which a lot of them do) then he would still be here to tell the tale, however riding without a helmet is asking for trouble as well, i am a keen cyclist and insist anyone who rides out with us has a helmet and wears it no matter how 'untrendy' it looks.

My fear here is she will be made an example of, yes fine her and points, but jail.......i don't think so

[Martin_1962]

Hi Chaps
As a local, this has been done to death in the local papers, I believe the upshot was she was texting on her phone and basically had no idea what colour the lights where.
It is viewed that if the cyclist has fallen from his bike before hand, she still would not have seen him possibly lying in the road.

A large amount of points and a fine, she is an idiot for texting and driving, this is the crime not cyclist running over - that is a consequence.

I can see your point, but potentially look at this way, your elderly grandmother waits to cross the road, the little man turns green she proceeds to cross the road and falls over, the lights then turn green for the cars, is it acceptable to run your grandmother over ?

I agree the crime is texting and driving, but does it mean the consequences are irrelevant.

I don't no.

Mike

Now this is different, she would be in the road fully visible and not hurtling out in front of you - visible from a way off and even visible I hope to a texter.

here death by dangerous driving might be appropriate.

The main argument I have with slow road users is that they moan if you HAVE to brake hard for any reason, I discussed this with a cyclist once, who commented at me, I said it was clear when I first saw him so didn't slow as much but when a car came the other way I slammed my brakes on rather than try to pass (both were possible), and that I had no intention of running him over.

Yes I do realise I should have slowed a bit earlier but twisty road and he was grass hidden until closer.

I did slow down within braking distance - just to a cyclist it sounds worse.

[Markjay]

It completely escaped me, but I now recall a conversation I had with a keen cyclist a few months ago (met him in a social event), he was moaning that he heard police were to crack-down on cyclists jumping red lights, he was on about police picking up on cyclists and wasting public money instead of fighting crime etc etc... thinking back I can't belive some cyclist have this attitude, that it is their birthright to jump red lights...  :-/

[Big_Roger]

Hi All,
Being local to where this happened I have read a lot of court coverage in the local press.

Yes the cyclist went through a red light, no he didnt have a helmet on etc. But there was no evidence that the driver tried to stop or took any collision avoiding action.
The court did take cyclist action into consideration, but surely the bottom line is no matter how stupid / careless cyclists or pedestrians may be, We drivers are supposed to be alert and take best care we can to not injure or kill them.

Roger

[Martin_1962]

If what we read is the truth then it is a case of both parties playing a part in a horrific accident.

Had she not been texting then there is chance she would have seen him and he would not have been killed, so she should be punished for her part, but a custodial sentence, i am not convinced.

Had the cyclist not jumped the red light (which a lot of them do) then he would still be here to tell the tale, however riding without a helmet is asking for trouble as well, i am a keen cyclist and insist anyone who rides out with us has a helmet and wears it no matter how 'untrendy' it looks.

My fear here is she will be made an example of, yes fine her and points, but jail.......i don't think so

I have to admit - I LIKE cycle lanes where I live - it is excercise.

[Martin_1962]

It completely escaped me, but I now recall a conversation I had with a keen cyclist a few months ago (met him in a social event), he was moaning that he heard police were to crack-down on cyclists jumping red lights, he was on about police picking up on cyclists and wasting public money instead of fighting crime etc etc... thinking back I can't belive some cyclist have this attitude, that it is their birthright to jump red lights...  :-/

That is the usual clap trap you get, try monitoring the various transprot news groups including the cycling ones. They blame the drivers even if they run red lights

[TheBoy]

Yes, cyclist went through red light (as they seem to) and got killed.  Now I'm not saying driver is innocent, shes not, but the way the trash bbc has villainised her, but not the cyclist is bad.

She deserves punishment, but the cyclist should be badly treated by bbc as well.

[Markjay]

Yes, cyclist went through red light (as they seem to) and got killed.  Now I'm not saying driver is innocent, shes not, but the way the trash bbc has villainised her, but not the cyclist is bad.

She deserves punishment, but the cyclist should be badly treated by bbc as well.

Found some more details here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/02/02/ntext102.xml

Don't expect the BBC to give you the whole news anymore...  

[Markjay]

Yes, cyclist went through red light (as they seem to) and got killed.  Now I'm not saying driver is innocent, shes not, but the way the trash bbc has villainised her, but not the cyclist is bad.

She deserves punishment, but the cyclist should be badly treated by bbc as well.

Found some more details here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/02/02/ntext102.xml

Don't expect the BBC to give you the whole news anymore...  

OK, so considering thge lady's antics so far, I agree she should not be allowed to drive a car, and possibly even punished severly for repeatedly offending.

But I disagree that she should be convicted of causing death....

And the story about how the cyclist dismounted actually makes things worst- why could he have not waited another couple of minutes? This baffles me completely, how his actions are not deemed irresponsible.

[Markjay]

...so where is Hotel21 when you need him?  

[Jay w]

so reading all the info we have this is what we know....

she was speeding
she was texting
she had been caught speeding before in similar situations (junctions)
she was not paying attention

He ran a red light knowingly
he had no head protection

Still say it was 6 of one and half a dozon of the other, she should be punished but he was also at fault and paid the ultimate price

had one or the other not carried out their action then there is a possiblity they would both be here today

[Golfbuddy]

I can't help but come back to the question, 'If the driver was not speeding and was not on the mobile phone, would the cyclist have been killed?'.

If the answer is that the cyclist would have survived then the driver is at fault. This is the question that the court would have had to answer. The fact that the cyclist went through a red light is merely mitigation in the driver's defence.

[Crazydad]

I can't help but come back to the question, 'If the driver was not speeding and was not on the mobile phone, would the cyclist have been killed?'.

If the answer is that the cyclist would have survived then the driver is at fault. This is the question that the court would have had to answer. The fact that the cyclist went through a red light is merely mitigation in the driver's defence.

Would the cyclist have been killed if he had stopped at the red light??

[TheBoy]

I can't help but come back to the question, 'If the driver was not speeding and was not on the mobile phone, would the cyclist have been killed?'.

If the answer is that the cyclist would have survived then the driver is at fault. This is the question that the court would have had to answer. The fact that the cyclist went through a red light is merely mitigation in the driver's defence.

Right, the milk of human kindness has dried up completely today, so forgive my honesty.

She is a chav, and in order to prevent her having thick, chav kids, should be banged up or shot.

He got want he deserved for being an impatient prat.

The BBC are a bunch of idiots, nothing more than an extension of the government's press office.


There, I've said it.

[maria]

I can't help but come back to the question, 'If the driver was not speeding and was not on the mobile phone, would the cyclist have been killed?'.

If the answer is that the cyclist would have survived then the driver is at fault. This is the question that the court would have had to answer. The fact that the cyclist went through a red light is merely mitigation in the driver's defence.

Right, the milk of human kindness has dried up completely today, so forgive my honesty.

She is a chav, and in order to prevent her having thick, chav kids, should be banged up or shot.

He got want he deserved for being an impatient prat.

The BBC are a bunch of idiots, nothing more than an extension of the government's press office.


There, I've said it.

Well said jaime, i agree with you