Will this make the roads safer?

[Mr Celine]

She's not a "hardened killer".

She's a reckless, thoughtless woman who killed someone in an entirely preventable RTA.

Don't you mean RTC?

This was a collision not an 'accident' - she would not have been found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving if it was an accident.

 

[jmaccyd]

Before we get too dewy eyed for this young women don't forget that she had 'previous' - THREE speeding convictions.

 

[Eat MY Dust]

Before we get too dewy eyed for this young women don't forget that she had 'previous' - THREE speeding convictions.

Hmm I wasn't aware of that!

 

[fossyant]

Ooops....... you would think she would slow down then, although I will comment that a lot of young women are terribly aggressive drivers - the lads are just fast and totally stupid !

 

[jmaccyd]

Details from an article printed in The Times, 2nd of Feb,

The court was told that Kiera Coultas, 25, did not see him at a busy junction on February 7 last year because she was sending the text at the time. She was replying to a message from her estranged husband.

Coultas, a hotel manager, admitted that her BMW was doing 45mph in a 30mph limit when she drove on to the junction in Southampton shortly after 7am. She told Southampton Crown Court that she had received three fixed penalty tickets for speeding � two of the offences were committed on a road leading to the junction.

[/quote]

 

[Wolf04]

I think 4 years sounds about right. Whether this will act as a deterrent to others, well I'm less convinced. It seems to me this Government churns out law after law without make any provision for enforcement . If from next month local councils can use CCTV to identify parking offences then why not illegal mobile phone use! I despair sometimes particularly when I see police drivers using mobiles.

 

[andygates]

"Will this make the roads safer?"

Well, it's got one incompetent idiot off the road, and scared a lot more into (hopefully) paying more attention.

So, in general, yes. It will make the roads safer.

 

[BentMikey]

Yes, but if there were a lot more convictions of people on mobile phones, i.e. good enforcement, then it would be a lot more effective too. Right now everyone thinks they can get away with mobile phone usage most of the time.

 

[Tynan]

yep, people were terrified when the law came out, then realised then nothing would ever happen if you did it

I've seen cycle coppers telling people to stop using their phone, no ticket no nothing, that's what happens when you do it with a cycle copper right next to you

 

[ufkacbln]

Interesting angle from Hampshire Police......


A Green Light means you may proceed "if the way to do so is clear".....not an autonatic right to proceed

Not mitigating the actions of the cyclist, btt hey are arguing that if she was not texting, she would have been able to see that the way was not clear, and acted accordingly.

 

[Muddyfox]

"Will this make the roads safer?"

Well, it's got one incompetent idiot off the road, and scared a lot more into (hopefully) paying more attention.

So, in general, yes. It will make the roads safer.

This could apply to the cyclist or the car driver ?

Simon

 

[Jacomus-rides-Gen]

Car drivers will think it will never happen to them as they are too good, and cyclists will continue to rlj "when I'm sure its safe".

It will happen again, providing more ammo for both motorists to have rlj-ers prosecuted harder / cyclists licenced, and from cycling groups to have better driver training and a more propotrional legal framework for cyclist vehicle interractions.

 

[Tynan]

I suggest that rlj on a bike can routinely be done perfectly safely and texting while driving a car is plain dangerous almost every time

 

[domtyler]

I suggest that rlj on a bike can routinely be done perfectly safely and texting while driving a car is plain dangerous almost every time

Fuck me! I knew if we waited long enough you would come out with something sensible!

Clearly the poor lad didn't know what he was doing. I 'pre-empt green' all the time, but only when the road is completely clear and empty. To play chicken with speeding cars at light controlled junctions is insanity.

 

[Horace Goes Skiing]

I haven't read the entire thread but..

the responsibility lies entirely with the driver in this case. She wouldn't have hit him if she had been paying attention, so she is entirely at fault.

The issue of the RLJing is irrelevant.