Plea to update road traffic laws after cycle courier crash death
ROAD SAFETY campaigners in Yorkshire are urging the Government to review all road safety law as plans were revealed to introduce offences of causing death by dangerous or careless cycling.
Cyclists who kill pedestrians would be treated in a similar way to dangerous drivers under proposed new legislation.
It comes after 44-year-old mother-of-two Kim Briggs was knocked over and killed by a bicycle courier in February 2016.
She was killed by Charlie Alliston, then 18, who was travelling at 18mph on a fixed-wheel track bike with no front brakes.
He was sentenced to 18 months in jail after being found guilty of causing bodily harm by “wanton and furious driving” – an offence drafted in the Victorian era to deal with reckless handling of horses.
But Huddersfield-based road safety charity Brake accused the Government of “trying to fix a fundamentally flawed legal framework” and said a full review of road safety law was “frankly long overdue.”
Director of campaigns Joshua Harris said: “All too often families are denied justice, with drivers who kill let off with pitifully lenient sentences, and the public endangered through dangerous drivers evading driving bans.
“The Government must review all road safety law to protect the public and deliver justice for the families of those devastated by road death.”
Brake said it also supported plans to update parts of the Highway Code, including measures to counter the dangerous practice of “close passing” – saying the vulnerability of cyclists stopped many from venturing on the road.
Ms Briggs’ widower Matthew supports the proposed new laws.
He said: “This public consultation is an important step towards updating the arcane laws that are currently being used to prosecute cycling offences.”
Department for Transport figures for 2016 show 448 pedestrians were killed on Britain’s roads, but only three cases involved bicycles.
Cycling UK has also called on the Government to “grasp the opportunity to do the job properly”.
In recent weeks the Department for Transport has announced a series of measures, including funding to give driving instructors training to ensure cyclists’ safety is prioritised.