Driver who killed cyclist escapes jail

[Crankarm]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...RAF-officer-Tom-Barrett-escapes-jail-sun.html

Depressing.

 

[TheDoctor]

I know. 'Depressing' hardly covers it, does it?
That's utterly dreadful.

 

[marinyork]

It is sad. We had a broadly similar case in 2006 round here where the driver was very probably speeding, got blinded by the sunlight and never even apologised. He was up on the more serious causing death by dangerous driving charge and got 18 months.

I got hit by a van that was temporarily blinded by the sunlight last year according to the driver, but I was fine apart from having a very sore right half of my body for 2 weeks. It's very sad these much more serious consequences.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

'I was very short-sighted, I was struggling to see the brake lights of the car in front of me, so I decided I needed to slow down'.

Says it all, doesn't it??


If someone of that standing can't get proper justice, then what chance have the rest of us?

 

[BSRU]

The law is far too lenient towards motorists.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

The law is far too lenient towards motorists.

Yes, if I killed someone, I'd get either Life or a manslaughter charge, not 100 hours unpaid fecking employment!

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

As a someone who drives an east-west commute I can understand the sun blindness. But I can never understand the need for people to keep going when they can't see anything.
It's like the drivers who carry on at speed into fog or heavy rain on motorways - I can't trust people's lives to the chance I may see them and avoid them in less than a second.

I'm the last to pick apart stories, but why would people be flashing this guy to warn him about the sun?

Perhaps it's the cyclist in me, but I'd rather stop than drive blind.

 

[SquareDaff]

As a driver I don't think I've ever been so blinded by the sun that I couldn't at least make out a silhoutette of an obstacle of cyclist size or bigger. I detect the faint whiff of BS!!

 

[Crankarm]

According to the article the driver, to add legitimacy to his defence, blubbed like a baby in court whether it was for the dead cyclist or the predicament he found himself in, only the defendant knows. Being cynical I suspect the latter.

What we need is a few senior judiciary to be knocked down and killed by SMIDSY drivers, then judges might, just might, start handing out much stiffer sentences.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

''...never seen the sun so low.'' There was me thinking sunset was a fairly regular event.

 

[fossyant]

The sun is there all the time - no excuse - it's low at particular times of day, so you adjust and take care - like the chap that I saw on the road yesterday - motorist not looking, low sun.

Absolutely no excuse.

This is a discrace. PS the driver looks like he needs to ride a bike !

 

[GrumpyGregry]

"I weren’t even looking for a cyclist...I thought there’s no way there would be a cyclist on the road when there’s a cycle lane"

Guilty of causing death by couldn't care less driving. Gets to go on litter patrol. I feel sick.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

As a driver I don't think I've ever been so blinded by the sun that I couldn't at least make out a silhoutette of an obstacle of cyclist size or bigger. I detect the faint whiff of BS!!

I have. And I've had it happen as a cyclist too.

 

[SquareDaff]

I have. And I've had it happen as a cyclist too.

But I presume you then wouldn't just tootle along at 50mph totally blinded! This wasn't something that just happened. He had enough time to realise he couldn't see brakelights and that moving his visor didn't achieve anything. I was negligence pure and simple.

 

[Crankarm]

Luker was found guilty of causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving following a trial at Harrow Crown Court.

Am I the only one to take issue with this?