[News] Just 3 years for killing a boy through dangerous driving

[dejavuatbtn]

Speeding, driving dangerously,, hitting the kid, killing him, failing to report an accident and driving away from the scene. Seems like the book throwing is now limited to 18 months in clink. A free ticket for anyone who wants revenge on someone. It is, as others have said, a pathetic sentence that if given to someone who had killed a friend or member of my family would not give me any sense of relief from my grief at all.
There are some drastically poor sentencing rules/practices in this country.

 

[drew]

Speeding, driving dangerously,, hitting the kid, killing him, failing to report an accident and driving away from the scene. Seems like the book throwing is now limited to 18 months in clink. A free ticket for anyone who wants revenge on someone. It is, as others have said, a pathetic sentence that if given to someone who had killed a friend or member of my family would not give me any sense of relief from my grief at all.
There are some drastically poor sentencing rules/practices in this country.

Not quite. If you deliberately drive a car at someone you could be charged with attempted murder (or murder if you killed them) or, at the very least, GBH with intent which carries a maximum sentence of life anyway!

 

[drew]

This would save so many lives:-

[tweet]1378365615606542341[/tweet]

Driving on the wrong side of the road isn't going to help.

Also, no belisha beacons highlighting the location of the zebra crossing.

 

[1066familyman]

This would save so many lives:-

[tweet]1378365615606542341[/tweet]

Talking of re designing our roads. Cycling in Belgium is certainly a bit weird at first, compared to here.

Imagine being able to cycle across T junctions on a cycle lane without constant stopping because the cycle lane goes across the junction IN FRONT of the car give way lines. Here, the cyclist on a cycle lane stretch that goes across T junctions is forced to stop and give way at every single junction. I've ridden with my kids on the cycle lane from Penvensey Bay to Eastbourne Marina before now. Now that's a pretty quiet stretch, but the design of the cycle lane is, shall we say, 'interesting' and completely different to what you'd experience in Belgium.

Same with roundabouts in Belgium where cycle lanes are present. All motor traffic give way lines are behind the cycle lane. A cyclist can cycle straight round a roundabout there knowing they have complete right of way and never need to 'mix it' with all the other traffic on the roundabout. Can you imagine how many more people would get out of their cars and cycle here if they had that level of safety afforded to them?

Now I'm not saying Belgium is perfect, or the other countries like Netherlands and Denmark that generally seek to put pedestrians and cyclists ahead of cars in recognition of who is the most vulnerable road user. They still have deaths on the roads. No one lives in a totally risk free society, that's impossible. But blimey! We have a very long way to go in this country in trying to reverse the Frankenstein monster that the car has become.

 

[Stat Brother]

We have a very long way to go in this country in trying to reverse the Frankenstein monster that the car has become.

A journey we'll never get to the end of, all the time:-

- A 2 week old's death doesn't register.
- People not in cars don't feel safe.
- Public transport remains overpriced and woefully underfunded.
- LTN's are sneered at on national news.
- Us motorists are given annual tax breaks at the pumps.
- Electric cars are prioritised over electric anything else.

and we have an entire culture of:-

'I must get there first, I must save 10 secs'.

(feel free to add)

 

[1066familyman]

This is a very interesting video, regarding 'Dutch style roundabouts' in the UK.

In all honesty, and speaking as a cyclist, pedestrian and car driver, I can see this being pretty scary for all users at first. As far as I'm aware, it's still the only one of its kind in the UK (which is sad, if so) and as such it's a massive learning curve for all users of it, especially for car drivers who have never used one of these before.

Accidents are bound to happen here I fear. I only hope that it actually proves safe enough, long term, to convince other councils to follow suit. But I fear the roundabout is starting the game at least 3 nil down before the whistle has even blown.

 

[1066familyman]

A journey we'll never get to the end of, all the time:-

- A 2 week old's death doesn't register.
- People not in cars don't feel safe.
- Public transport remains overpriced and woefully underfunded.
- LTN's are sneered at on national news.
- Us motorists are given annual tax breaks at the pumps.
- Electric cars are prioritised over electric anything else.

and we have an entire culture of:-

'I must get there first, I must save 10 secs'.

(feel free to add)

So long as there isn't a 'no parking on the verge' sign, I can freely park my vehicle fully on the pavement, for as long as I like, without fear of penalty.

No matter that pedestrians have to now step out into a road, or cross a busy road to continue on their right of way.


Try pushing a buggy and having other kids in tow when performing this exercise as a pedestrian too.

 

[dsr-burnley]

- Us motorists are given annual tax breaks at the pumps.

What are the tax breaks?

 

[Stat Brother]

What are the tax breaks?

No increase in fuel duty for X years.

 

[Uter]

I assume you were a pedestrian at the time, right?

Yes of course. I was walking my daughter to school. I am not sure I could claim the moral high ground if I was driving and decided to video another driver.

 

[Stat Brother]

[tweet]1379046920346304520[/tweet]

 

[drew]

No increase in fuel duty for X years.

That's a very bizarre way of interpreting it.

 

[Stat Brother]

That's a very bizarre way of interpreting it.

10 years to be precise.

 

[drew]

10 years to be precise.

Doesn't matter how long, it's still odd to describe it as a tax break when motorists pay a tax for owning a car and pay fuel duty when they fill up and VAT on top of that. Cyclists on the other hand!!!!

 

[schmunk]

Doesn't matter how long, it's still odd to describe it as a tax break when motorists pay a tax for owning a car and pay fuel duty when they fill up and VAT on top of that. Cyclists on the other hand!!!!

...also pay those taxes when they drive their cars...?

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Doesn't matter how long, it's still odd to describe it as a tax break when motorists pay a tax for owning a car and pay fuel duty when they fill up and VAT on top of that. Cyclists on the other hand!!!!

Why bring cyclists into it? Here’s a better idea - motorists pay even more tax for polluting the atmosphere and can also finance more pollution absorbing roadside trees to be planted while us non-car owning cyclists get a reduction in our taxes. Sound good? Some people.

 

[strings]

I haven't read this whole thread, so apologies if I am going over old ground.

But it is the length of the driving bans that shock me. There appears to me to be an assumption that everybody has the right to drive. I would vastly increase driving bans. In my opinion, driving should not be an automatic right; especially to people that have driven recklessly, resulting in loss of life or serious injury to others.

 

[KeegansHairPiece]

Doesn't matter how long, it's still odd to describe it as a tax break when motorists pay a tax for owning a car and pay fuel duty when they fill up and VAT on top of that. Cyclists on the other hand!!!!

Whataboutery at its finest.

 

[drew]

I haven't read this whole thread, so apologies if I am going over old ground.

But it is the length of the driving bans that shock me. There appears to me to be an assumption that everybody has the right to drive. I would vastly increase driving bans. In my opinion, driving should not be an automatic right; especially to people that have driven recklessly, resulting in loss of life or serious injury to others.

Strictly speaking, there is no automatic right to drive, you have to pass a test. Unfortunately, a minority ignore this requirement.

 

[drew]

Whataboutery at its finest.

So you agree that motorists are getting a tax break just because fuel duty hasn't gone up! I suppose you'd say the same about everyone that pays income tax if the rate doesn't go up or any other tax for that matter.

It was, in my opinion, a moronic comment by the OP and doesn't really add to the topic under discussion.

I don't have a problem with all cyclists, just those that seem to have a problem with every motorist which seems to Stat and the likes of Jeremy Vine.