Cyclists who kill people face life in prison

[libraryguy]

Cyclists who kill people face life in prison, the Transport Secretary has announced as he promised to introduce the same punishments as those for dangerous drivers.

Mark Harper will also say that those who injure people while cycling dangerously could face jail terms of up to five years.

Victims minister Laura Ferris announced in the Commons that the government would back an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill put forward by former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith.

In the next few weeks it will be redrafted and re-introduced in the House of Lords.

Sir Iain’s amendment had called for a maximum sentence for dangerous cycling of 14 years, but a source at the Department of Transport said this would be increased to a life sentence “to reflect changes made by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022”, which increased penalties for motorists.

[horse]

Finally a level playing field for the justice system, about time too.

[The PNP]

Cyclists who kill people face life in prison, the Transport Secretary has announced as he promised to introduce the same punishments as those for dangerous drivers.

Mark Harper will also say that those who injure people while cycling dangerously could face jail terms of up to five years.

Victims minister Laura Ferris announced in the Commons that the government would back an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill put forward by former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith.

In the next few weeks it will be redrafted and re-introduced in the House of Lords.

Sir Iain’s amendment had called for a maximum sentence for dangerous cycling of 14 years, but a source at the Department of Transport said this would be increased to a life sentence “to reflect changes made by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022”, which increased penalties for motorists.

The charge of 'dangerous driving' is used less than it should be. Because that charge is harder to make stick, the CPS not infrequently will go for 'careless driving' instead, which carries a lesser max sentence.

[Hamble]

Great News.

I am really pleased.

[lawed143]

Maybe not, a precedent has already been set….?*??
If drivers can get away with it…..

https://x.com/tony_eh/status/1556943...ZU_XxrBa6BHpXA

https://x.com/tony_eh/status/1556944...ZU_XxrBa6BHpXA

https://x.com/tony_eh/status/1556944...ZU_XxrBa6BHpXA

[local]

Some odd responses on here from supposed cycling supporters.

Surely any cyclist or driver for that matter wants dangerous drivers or riders dealt with?

Drivers are so much easier to catch, which is why they are "milked" so hard and caught so often.

[lawed143]

Some odd responses on here from supposed cycling supporters.

Surely any cyclist or driver for that matter wants dangerous drivers or riders dealt with?

Drivers are so much easier to catch, which is why they are "milked" so hard and caught so often.

You have completely mis-understood my point. Of course dangerous road users need penalising. My point was that most drivers aren’t adequately penalised. They get away without being jailed - just a fine and some points seems the norm. So I can’t see any cyclists being ‘jailed for LIFE’ for an accident, as this thread by anti-cyclist libraryguy claims.

Also, if drivers are being ‘caught so often’ as you say, there is a simple way to prevent that …. Maybe drive according to their license….its not that difficult.

[libraryguy]

Looks like certain parts of the cycling community are upset that they can't ride with almost no immunity from now on.

About time all road users able to exceed 10mph should be accountable.

Also some form of identification for cyclists should be introduced too!

[local]

To enforce there would have to be some form of identification although the latest generations of CCTV systems are pretty good at identifying you even with masks.


Facial recognition beats the Covid-mask challenge

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-56517033



Combined with your bodies physical characteristics, location/time data and the net tightens.

Cyclists like me offer so much more than you might think to identify them, traveling much slower than cars helps.

It's all on the way.

[Desert Region]

Cyclists who kill people face life in prison, the Transport Secretary has announced as he promised to introduce the same punishments as those for dangerous drivers.

Mark Harper will also say that those who injure people while cycling dangerously could face jail terms of up to five years.

Victims minister Laura Ferris announced in the Commons that the government would back an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill put forward by former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith.

In the next few weeks it will be redrafted and re-introduced in the House of Lords.

Sir Iain’s amendment had called for a maximum sentence for dangerous cycling of 14 years, but a source at the Department of Transport said this would be increased to a life sentence “to reflect changes made by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022”, which increased penalties for motorists.

Good.

It's where both dangerous cyclist scum and dangerous motorist scum belong.

[local]

Perhaps "Dangerous Cyclists" should be treated more harshly?

to get to the stage of "dangerous" for a cyclist takes significant and persistent physical effort never mind callous disregard for others.

I wouldn't even be thinking of riding like that on public roads.

[bensherman]

When someone kills someone else, perhaps without intent, but without regard to their actions, they are liable to be prosecuted for manslaughter , for which a life sentence can be given

[Toodles McGinty]

Glad to hear it. I don't care if you're sat behind a wheel, on a saddle, or ramming into people on a mobility scooter, if you aren't proceeding with due care and that ends in taking a person's life, then you should sacrifice your freedom for good.

I'm not talking about a no-fault accident, any more than an unfortunate accident in any walk of life should necessarily end in punishment. But the knowledge that your actions may result in life imprisonment should be a deterrent to anyone.

[local]

There seems to be a lack of understanding over the current laws;

A cyclist who knocked down and killed an 81-year-old pensioner while she walked across the road in London's Regent's Park has been pictured.

Brian Fitzgerald was doing up to 29mph in a 20mph zone when he hit Hilda Griffiths while she crossed the road with her dog at 7am on a Saturday in June 2022.

The cyclist, a vice president at Credit Suisse, was let off without conviction after a court heard that speed limits did not apply the same way to cyclists as motorists.

That is why the government moved to change the law.

[Hamble]

Cyclists are using apps to record times and completion of routes around London parks at dangerous to pedestrian speeds.

Quote
"Royal Parks have called for a route in Regent’s Park to be removed from time trial apps after an 81-year-old woman was struck and killed by a speeding cyclist.

The Royal Parks, which runs eight of London’s famous outdoor spaces, has written to Strava and other GPS app companies demanding the Outer Circle be removed from their tracking devices.

Cyclists use the apps to record how quickly they can travel over certain distances.

They have also contacted cycling sports clubs reminding them that cyclists using any royal park are required “to observe the motor vehicle speed limits for the park”.

The move comes after The Telegraph revealed how Brian Fitzgerald, a director at Credit Suisse, was involved in a fatal collision with Hilda Griffiths as he reached speeds of up to 29mph in the 20mph zone in June 2022. He was completing timed laps using a Garmin device.

An inquest heard how the police concluded the banker could not be prosecuted because speed limits do not apply to pedal bikes because they are not mechanically propelled.

Mrs Griffith’s son Gerard, 52, claims more than 35 cycling clubs use Regent’s Park as a “velodrome”, with some cyclists exceeding the 20mph speed limit as they compete to record their fastest possible lap times.

It is feared that the apps, often installed on mobile phones which are clipped to bike handlebars, encourage reckless riding as cyclists record, share and compare speeds of specific routes.

A Royal Parks spokesman said it had now launched a review to see how they can keep pedestrians safe and encourage more considerate and less dangerous cycling in Regent’s Park."



https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/202...ts-park-route/