Is this what a life is worth?

[Notafettler]

. He stopped at the scene which suggests concern for the victim.

It does nothing of the sort. He stopped because he thought there was something wrong with his vehicle.
I always slow down if I cant see properly ahead...obviously. The speed I cycle at night is based on which lights I am using.
Short sentences as in the actual 4 months results in other motorist worrying less about killing cyclist/pedestrians.
As a lorry driver he is required to take much more care he didn't.
Your support for the lorry driver is rather odd for cyclist.

 

[icowden]

Assuming it's the same person, can his company licence not be revoked?
MARWIT TRANSPORT LTD

If this is the same person, he is working through a personal service company. The paperwork suggests he has no employees and the company has about £1700 in the accounts. Given that he is the driver and cannot drive, his company is effectively dormant. There is no license .Just his company registration. He has done nothing wrong as a director of that company, so there is no basis to strike him out or ban him from being a director.

 

[icowden]

It does nothing of the sort. He stopped because he thought there was something wrong with his vehicle.
...
Short sentences as in the actual 4 months results in other motorist worrying less about killing cyclist/pedestrians.

He stopped because he heard a noise. We can only speculate as to why.

Sentences are not a deterrent. They never work as a deterrent. It is utterly bizarre that people think that they do. Priti Patel was filmed on question time explaining that the death penalty is an excellent deterrent, where she received the derision she was due. Why? Because we know that they are not a deterrent. The USA has the death penalty in 29 of 52 states. It has a murder rate 5 times higher than ours.

Your support for the lorry driver is rather odd for cyclist.

So as Cyclists we shouldn't be able to empathise? To put ourselves in the position of the lorry driver? We should only consider one part of the argument and immediately call for the stringing up of anyone who kills a cyclist?

The majority of the lorry drivers I have encountered have seemed like nice people trying to do their job of driving a large vehicle with often difficult visibility. I have learned that they really appreciate cyclists who stop and wait whilst they finish reversing into a delivery bay, or who don't cut in front of them whilst they wait to get round a badly or illegally parked car. I can understand why they think some cyclists are utter idiots, just as I can understand that some cyclists think that most lorry drivers are utter idiots. Personally I have a low regard for London Black Cab Drivers, based on my experiences with them. It doesn't mean that some of them aren't nice competent drivers, and I have encountered cabbies that fall into that category.

 

[Electric_Andy]

For someone who's not offended before, 8 months inside is significant, and IMHO there is no benefit to putting someone away for longer than that in this situation. One could argue that the longer you spend in prison, the easier it gets (as you become familiar with the conditions and routines).

I bet if he ever drives a vehicle again he will not be so flippant about safety. I would possibly call for a lifetime license ban, as it would mean he couldn't put himself in the same position again, but could still work and would not be occupying a costly prison cell.

 

[mjr]

For someone who's not offended before, 8 months inside is significant, and IMHO there is no benefit to putting someone away for longer than that in this situation. One could argue that the longer you spend in prison, the easier it gets (as you become familiar with the conditions and routines).

I bet if he ever drives a vehicle again he will not be so flippant about safety. I would possibly call for a lifetime license ban, as it would mean he couldn't put himself in the same position again, but could still work and would not be occupying a costly prison cell.

It's probably 4 months inside. Is that really going to be enough time for him to get over the shock of imprisonment and have time to be rehabilitated before he is looking forwards to his release? I doubt it.

I think a lifetime license ban should be the default. It would take the edge off the short detention period.

 

[mjr]

Sentences are not a deterrent. They never work as a deterrent. It is utterly bizarre that people think that they do.

The question is not whether heavier sentences are a deterrent, but whether lighter sentences are seen as a signal that we do not consider a crime as serious.

So as Cyclists we shouldn't be able to empathise? To put ourselves in the position of the lorry driver? We should only consider one part of the argument and immediately call for the stringing up of anyone who kills a cyclist?

1. No-one is calling for the stringing up. Having to resort to creating such a false dilemma suggests that one's argument is very weak.
2. If you can really see yourself ever being in the position of a lorry driver who drives distracted, on the phone and blind, dazzled by sun off a wet road, please surrender your driving licence - you will probably save a life!

The majority of the lorry drivers I have encountered have seemed like nice people trying to do their job of driving a large vehicle with often difficult visibility.

Indeed. The majority of lorry drivers haven't killed anyone and it's by skill, not luck.

The one I met today peeing on a cycle track because he's too lazy to walk a hundred metres to the service station building was a daffodil, though.

 

[mjr]

Like it or not, using a hands free device is legal, texting via the handset is not.

The driver in the OP was legally using his phone, which a reasonable person might accept differentiates him from a texting driver.

He was convicted of the lesser offence of death by careless driving which, if dealt with at a crown court, carries a maximum of five years.

Using a hands free device is only legal in so far as it's not a fixed penalty offence. Not being in proper control of one's vehicle as a result is the point where it becomes illegal - but this aspect is less troubling than him driving blind.

I've found an earlier report which describes the location and home address at https://www.cambstimes.co.uk/news/woman-from-chatteris-dies-in-crash-1-5807428 and combined this with the OP report to figure out the likely route was https://cycle.travel/map/journey/139086 (with 1 marking the collision location) and you can see that the driver has probably been travelling in the same direction for about half a mile before the collision. So driving blind does not seem like a momentary error so I don't understand why the lesser offence was used.

Now, to correct what I wrote to @icowden earlier, this is not where I suspected. It's actually the only stretch of A141 north of Huntingdon that has a cycle track, which was built along with the former "ghost Tesco" now the "Jack's" and "Poundstretcher" bucket shops. However, because the roundabout has no cycleway across its islands, a southbound cyclist would pretty much have to bravely stick their arm out and turn right at the roundabout, then make a U-turn left onto the cycle track across the superstore roundabout exit at https://showmystreet.com/#v8ea1_wl2_7d.d_-7h43 - and then 700m later, after a dip to an underpass that would take southbound riders on a long detour and climb back up, crossing a side road without priority, you'd have to cross the A141 without priority or refuge at https://showmystreet.com/#v89ym_v3u_5m.s_-3g43 - so I can understand why southbound riders might decide it's better to turn left, ride 700m of A road and turn left off it, rather than turn right, U-turn left, cross a side road and cross both lanes of the A road. So, the council should still be flamed — but for building half-useless disconnected shoot rather than not building anything!

 

[classic33]

If this is the same person, he is working through a personal service company. The paperwork suggests he has no employees and the company has about £1700 in the accounts. Given that he is the driver and cannot drive, his company is effectively dormant. There is no license .Just his company registration. He has done nothing wrong as a director of that company, so there is no basis to strike him out or ban him from being a director.

Who said anything about striking him off? You're reading something that was never said.

His company is still running, which allows him to employ someone to continue driving for him whilst he's off the road. Cutting down what he actually loses.

 

[icowden]

His company is still running, which allows him to employ someone to continue driving for him whilst he's off the road. Cutting down what he actually loses.

His company is a PSC making little profit. He was hardly making any money when he was working for himself. Paying someone else is unlikely to be worth the effort.

I sit corrected by the way. I have now learned that HGV drivers require a goods licence which is I think what you were referring to.
In which case I agree with you that it might have been an idea to also revoke his goods license (although to be fair it is now of little use to him).

 

[Drago]

Using a hands free device is only legal in so far as it's not a fixed penalty offence. Not being in proper control of one's vehicle as a result is the point where it becomes illegal - but this aspect is less troubling than him driving blind.

I've found an earlier report which describes the location and home address at https://www.cambstimes.co.uk/news/woman-from-chatteris-dies-in-crash-1-5807428 and combined this with the OP report to figure out the likely route was https://cycle.travel/map/journey/139086 (with 1 marking the collision location) and you can see that the driver has probably been travelling in the same direction for about half a mile before the collision. So driving blind does not seem like a momentary error so I don't understand why the lesser offence was used.

Now, to correct what I wrote to @icowden earlier, this is not where I suspected. It's actually the only stretch of A141 north of Huntingdon that has a cycle track, which was built along with the former "ghost Tesco" now the "Jack's" and "Poundstretcher" bucket shops. However, because the roundabout has no cycleway across its islands, a southbound cyclist would pretty much have to bravely stick their arm out and turn right at the roundabout, then make a U-turn left onto the cycle track across the superstore roundabout exit at https://showmystreet.com/#v8ea1_wl2_7d.d_-7h43 - and then 700m later, after a dip to an underpass that would take southbound riders on a long detour and climb back up, crossing a side road without priority, you'd have to cross the A141 without priority or refuge at https://showmystreet.com/#v89ym_v3u_5m.s_-3g43 - so I can understand why southbound riders might decide it's better to turn left, ride 700m of A road and turn left off it, rather than turn right, U-turn left, cross a side road and cross both lanes of the A road. So, the council should still be flamed — but for building half-useless disconnected shoot rather than not building anything!

Absolutely. Its not a statute offence, but it is well established that using a hands-free while driving reduces a drivers reaction times to a level comparable with a drink driver. Bearing that in mind, it is an offence to drive carelessely or not in proper control, so even if a driver takes a call and nothing adverse happens they may still have inadvertantly been committing an offence.

Unless you're calling 999 because life or limb is at risk, there is no justification for speaking on a phone while driving. Anyone who can't manage a car journey without having to chunter away to someone on the phone is a bit sad anyway. Get a life, and develop some discipline.

 

[lane]

Check out some trucking forums if you want to know what truck drivers really think of cyclists. You may be surprised and also horrified.

 

[Pale Rider]

Check out some trucking forums if you want to know what truck drivers really think of cyclists. You may be surprised and also horrified.

Any special interest forum attracts the worst kind of knackers who share that interest.

Oh, hang on...