[Travel] Drink driver jailed after killing a pedestrian

[Bold Seagull]

Report says the scumbag is 68 years old. Assume he serves half of his 8 year sentence, that makes him 72 when he gets out. Then a 7 year ban. That takes him up to 79. Then a compulsory retake of the test. Nope, scumbag's highly unlikely to be ever driving again. Instead he'll be marooned in some village in the back of beyond with no public transport. Oh well. Plenty of time for scumbag to sit and rot and reflect on the terrible consequences of his actions on that poor girl and her family

At 80 could be back driving. That is so f***ed up that it could happen regardless of how unlikely.

 

[WATFORD zero]

Sentencing changed in June this year for offences such as these. Can now be a life sentence for death by dangerous driving.

Too late for this ****, but a positive move at long last

 

[drew]

A really really odd question to want answered. I’m trying to work out why it my be relevant to you?

Let's assume he was drinking at his usual pub and the landlord knows him and knows he has to drive home. There is some culpability there. Also, it is illegal to sell alcohol to someone you know to be intoxicated. Now he might have been drinking elsewhere, we don't know, hence the question.

 

[dazzer6666]

Report says the scumbag is 68 years old. Assume he serves half of his 8 year sentence, that makes him 72 when he gets out. Then a 7 year ban. That takes him up to 79. Then a compulsory retake of the test. Nope, scumbag's highly unlikely to be ever driving again. Instead he'll be marooned in some village in the back of beyond with no public transport. Oh well. Plenty of time for scumbag to sit and rot and reflect on the terrible consequences of his actions on that poor girl and her family

Possibly, although I think normally the driving ban is extended by 50% of the custodial sentence where a driving offence results in a prison term, so I reckon he’s got a 3 year (standard) ban that’s been extended by a further 4 years.

 

[dangull]

Even if he was drunk, I can't believe he shows no remorse for taking a young women's life, just rambling about maybe being called a name WTF.
Should be manslaughter and maybe 15 years.

 

[Weststander]

Then, he’s banned from driving for just 7 years. I don’t get why drivers in this country are so protected - he should never be allowed behind the wheel of a vehicle ever again. You killed someone while drunk, you can do your time in prison, but don’t expect to be allowed to drive ever again.

Do you still cycle?

I do (fitness rides). I’m confident but careful (always leaving something in reserve should a driver do something incredibly stupid, selfish and dangerous). The one small fear I always have is being taken out from behind, with zero forewarning, probably by a twat on the mobile or a drink/drug driver.

 

[dazzer6666]

Do you still cycle?

I do (fitness rides). I’m confident but careful (always leaving something in reserve should a driver do something incredibly stupid, selfish and dangerous). The one small fear I always have is being taken out from behind, with zero forewarning, probably by a twat on the mobile or a drink/drug driver.

I run a lot on country lanes……the number of drivers that are either on the phone or otherwise oblivious to (or deliberately ignore) other road users is horrendous - I never wear headphones so I can hear the fvckers coming

 

[Stat Brother]

Do you still cycle?

I do (fitness rides). I’m confident but careful (always leaving something in reserve should a driver do something incredibly stupid, selfish and dangerous). The one small fear I always have is being taken out from behind, with zero forewarning, probably by a twat on the mobile or a drink/drug driver.

The downside of my Twitter is it's full of that.
I could have tripled downed on this story today, typified by another 5 years handled down in Swansea yesterday.

An off duty police officer killed because of Facebook - f**king Facebook and Instagram.

 

[Weststander]

I run a lot on country lanes……the number of drivers that are either on the phone or otherwise oblivious to (or deliberately ignore) other road users is horrendous - I never wear headphones so I can hear the fvckers coming

Like you, as a car driver too, I really thinks it helps to know the psyche/behaviour of drivers.

Too many examples to mention, but when cycling I have an escape course of action in mind, plus assume impatient drivers will take that illegal turn left across my path. It works both ways, I signal my intentions and personally stay fairly to the left to keep interactions amicable.

Mobiles phones are an interesting one. Until they came along imho 95% of bad drivers were men. In my experience women are just as likely to illegally use their mobiles.

 

[dazzer6666]

Like you, as a car driver too, I really thinks it helps to know the psyche/behaviour of drivers.

Too many examples to mention, but when cycling I have an escape course of action in mind, plus assume impatient drivers will take that illegal turn left across my path. It works both ways, I signal my intentions and personally stay fairly to the left to keep interactions amicable.

Mobiles phones are an interesting one. Until they came along imho 95% of bad drivers were men. In my experience women are just as likely to illegally use their mobiles.

Not a scientific experiment, but from running alongside cars I would say mobile phone use while driving is far more (youngish) female than any other category which as a runner is more of an issue around town than in the sticks. Out of town and on the single track lanes the issue appears to Tabitha and Toby being taken to the stables by stressed mummy in her Range Rover. I’ve had to literally jump into the hedge several times.

 

[Stat Brother]

Like you, as a car driver too, I really thinks it helps to know the psyche/behaviour of drivers.

Too many examples to mention, but when cycling I have an escape course of action in mind, plus assume impatient drivers will take that illegal turn left across my path. It works both ways, I signal my intentions and personally stay fairly to the left to keep interactions amicable.

Mobiles phones are an interesting one. Until they came along imho 95% of bad drivers were men. In my experience women are just as likely to illegally use their mobiles.

It's all in the eyes - they're your safety blanket, gotta make eye contact.

I try and do everything I can to help drivers, warn of oncoming traffic, wave them through on bends, I have even devised an elaborate system of telling a lorry/bus driver I'm going to slow down and cut into the left turn so they can overtake me as we cross it together!!

Like you I can't stand anyone behind me.

But it all.means nothing if they've drunk a bottle of vodka or are seeing what's on The Facebook.

 

[Weststander]

It's all in the eyes - they're your safety blanket, gotta make eye contact.

I try and do everything I can to help drivers, warn of oncoming traffic, wave them through on bends, I have even devised an elaborate system of telling a lorry/bus driver I'm going to slow down and cut into the left turn so they can overtake me as we cross it together!!

Like you I can't stand anyone behind me.

But it all.means nothing if they've drunk a bottle of vodka or are seeing what's on The Facebook.

I do the same … I genuinely like being helpful in general, plus it’s good manners (I know it’s not in a code).

The skinny lycra cyclists bomb down Dyke Road Avenue in 2’s or 3’s heading home in Brighton or Hove, I’d estimate at 30mph or 35mph. Loving the thrill and efficiency. I can’t criticise them.

But there are a stack of left turns, my neighbour on a bike was taken out by a car illegally turning left crossing their path. I settle for circa 20mph, a bit slower in the wet. I want to live and I don’t want a visit the Royal Sussex.

 

[dazzer6666]

Lucky there wasn’t a similar outcome here

 

[GT49er]

Gawd! N!

 

[Bold Seagull]

Lucky there wasn’t a similar outcome here

Ridiculously lenient sentencing. The culture of protecting driving in this country is completely clear. We need a radical culture change of driving being a huge privilege - not an entitlement. This narrowly avoided horrendous consequences and the sentencing should reflect what could have happened, not reflect that it didn't.

 

[dazzer6666]

Ridiculously lenient sentencing. The culture of protecting driving in this country is completely clear. We need a radical culture change of driving being a huge privilege - not an entitlement. This narrowly avoided horrendous consequences and the sentencing should reflect what could have happened, not reflect that it didn't.

Yep………not much of a step to think of a line of kids at that bus stop waiting for a school bus for example. Moron behind the wheel wouldn’t have thought any differently.

 

[Stat Brother]

Ridiculously lenient sentencing. The culture of protecting driving in this country is completely clear. We need a radical culture change of driving being a huge privilege - not an entitlement. This narrowly avoided horrendous consequences and the sentencing should reflect what could have happened, not reflect that it didn't.

It's not when you add in the disparity between custodial sentences between men and women for identical offences.

 

[Billy the Fish]

wave them through on bends,

I never go when cyclists do this. It's too much trust to put in another person, I don't know their level of competence or if tiredness is affecting their judgement. If they get it wrong I'm still 100% responsible if there's an accident.

It's definitely saved me from a head-on up going up the Beacon, a knackered and inexperienced cyclist waved me through when he couldn't possibly see round the bend, a car came the other way which I would've hit head on.

 

[Stat Brother]

I never go when cyclists do this. It's too much trust to put in another person, I don't know their level of competence or if tiredness is affecting their judgement. If they get it wrong I'm still 100% responsible if there's an accident.

It's definitely saved me from a head-on up going up the Beacon, a knackered and inexperienced cyclist waved me through when he couldn't possibly see round the bend, a car came the other way which I would've hit head on.

Me neither, as a driver, and I certainly wouldn't do it on unfamiliar roads.

If anything I see it more as another tool to say 'im not the enemy here'.


My commute is glorious for all but 3 of the last 4 miles, which contains three long s-bends, almost consecutively.
If I wasn't aware of drivers chancing OUR luck, I probably wouldn't go out of my way to control the road.
Sadly though the 'if I'm fast enough I can also make it through before the bend starts' is potentially behind me.

 

[Lyndhurst 14]

I watched the recent Panorama programme about cyclists and cars. It's a real war out there with no winners, only a lot of casualties. One thing I do like about the cycle lanes in New York is many of them have a large concrete kerb between the cycle lane and the traffic to provide a real barrier. I know they have wider roads so that can be done but it often seems in England that a cycle lane is squeezed onto an existing lane with just a white line between cyclist and car user