Have your say for safer cycling in the UK

It seems to me life or limb has no real value on today's roads especially as a cyclist!  As with the attitude of annoyance and inpatients being expressed by far to many drivers, that being Men and Woman drivers of car's bus's and Van's etc, to the point that some people in our society feel it's OK to express their attitudes not just verbally, but with the threat of violence using  there vehicles as weapons.  In some very extreme case's, people actually carry out this threat!  And shockingly, it's far more common that you may think.

 There are more and more ugly case's of people prepared to get out of their vehicles and carry out attacks of verbal and even physical violence on what would seem to be in many case's, are innocent cyclist's in fear of that person that just nearly wiped them out!   Look at some of these people's behavior and judge for yourself on our Road Rage Towards Cyclists page.

We hear about people losing their lives right here in the UK on their bike's far to often, and the law instead of making the offender accountable and responsible for there action's, almost seems to be using it as a revenue stream!  "Wait," I know what that sounds like but bare with me. By fining (+plus Court cost's) someone after they've killed somebody and taking there license away for a relatively short period of time, and then giving it back, all the the Court has done in affect, is put a price on someones life! There for monetized Your Dad's death, your Daughter Sister a friend the list goes on.  The offender pays a higher premium for their car insurance, their contributing towards the economy leaving the victims family to suffer in silence for the rest of their lives.  I know this sounds a bit strong doesn't it, but in my opinion this seems to be the reality of what's been happening! 

Update: 21/04/13 I'm not saying this was deliberate, But this case is sadly a great example of what I'm talking about! We need to look at the law and sentences handed down from our Court's!  Lorry driver Nigel Drake, 43, admitted causing death by careless driving and was given a suspended prison sentence and driving ban, he failed to see cyclist Andrew Ridsdale, also 43, until too late and hit him from behind.  Very Sad Example.

Update: 24/04/13
A nurse Heather Butler, 67, was sentenced to five years and four months for killing Sam Brown, 15, while almost two-and-a-half times over the drink-drive limit.  For the full story go to Hull Daily Mail
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Update: 4/05/13

Two time bike killer Gary McCourt, 49

Motorist Gary McCourt, 49, from Edinburgh with a driver with a previous conviction for causing the death of a cyclist has been given a community service order after he hit a second cyclist who later died. He claimed he had

a "momentary lapse of concentration", but was ordered to carry out 300 hours of community service and was given a five-year driving ban after he knocked down Mrs Audrey Fyfe, 75, a former member of the Cycle Touring Club.

Second victim Mrs Audrey Fyfe, 75

Although no expert witnesses gave evidence during McCourt's trial, Sheriff James Scott said Fyfe's failure to wear a cycling helmet was a factor in her death.  He told Edinburgh sheriff court: "Mrs Fyfe wasn't to blame in any way for the accident. However, she was not wearing a safety helmet and that in my view contributed to her death." Despite the fact the only thing which contributed to her death was the atrocious driving of a motorist who had already killed another cyclist George Dalgity, in 1986. 

First victim George Dalgity, 22 in 1986
Gary McCourt's first victim George Dalgity's family broke their near-30 year silence to speak of their grief to the Edinburgh-Evening-News.


It seems to me we as a society are going backwards !  

With the power of the Internet we can claim our roads back for everyone. But we need to come together to do it!

•  We need stricter and stronger laws!
•  If somebody driving kills someone regardless of whether the person was walking or riding a bike, if it was proven the the driver was speeding using a mobile phone etc, they should be charged with manslaughter and the charge should be up held!
•  And once found guilty, we need tougher sentencing.  Example
• We need to claim back our society by creating real deterants that actually make people think about the consequences of their actions.

 The whole idea of this blog  is for us to come together as a community, not just a cycling community!  This particular clip has no cyclist, however it shows the attitude of annoyance, inpatients and ignorance being expressed on our roads today, by far to many drivers, both Men and Woman and it's frightening!

  As you saw in the video above we're all at risk!  We might not all be cyclists but most of us have family or friends of sorts, we don't have to look far to find someone who we love care for, who enjoys riding their bike.  After going to an old  mates funeral after he was knocked off his bike and killed, I started to realize the scale of this problem.  As it stands last year was a five year high for cyclists killed in the UK!  Take a look at these arseholes .

Please voice your option, tick a box if you agree or disagree, or feel free to post a comment, ether way please make your voice heard! You can follow us on at twitter.com/@UkSaferCycling.