Long story short – truck driver kills a cyclist in ChCh, gets given the most lame punishment of a 9 month ban and community service – W T F is going on. No extenuating circumstances either – just bad driving.

Have a read and pay attention to page 6 where the cyclists husband writes a message, absolutely heartbreaking stuff – cannot believe what the judge did.

http://www.vorb.org.nz/cyclist-dies-after-collision-with-car-t106915.html

Dunno why I’m posting this but after far too many near misses and a few hots I’m really starting to get fed up with the lenient sentences given out to drivers who just do not pay attention. It sucks.

Thanks for listening to my whinge.

same here in Scotland…it’s the main reason I don’t ride much on the road just too dangerous as drivers don’t care and the punishment is just a slap on the wrists.

The car is still king and people treat cyclists with as much respect as a steaming dog shit they have just stood in!

Cyclists are indeed 2nd class citizens on the road. Whilst killing them through “accicents” is not acceptable, it is certainly not taken very seriously when one dies.

Awful, and her Husbands message is desperately sad.

Is it common practice in NZ for the victims family to read an ‘impact statement’ in court? Sounds like there has been a dreadful error made by the court/judge along with a lot of confusion re the truck driver stopping/lying to police at the scene.

I agree that the attitude does seem to be that is ‘accepted’ and ‘inevitable’ that cyclists will be knocked down and killed with little penalty or deterrent to the driver. I doubt whether higher sentencing would make the slightest difference as many people will continue to drive with their head up their @rse regardless.

I think much more rigorous and regular testing/refresher courses is necessary, with eye tests and competency certificates, particularly for the over 65’s. Having said that, the worst drivers I encounter, as far as driving without due care and attention, are at the other end of the spectrum ie. young women. Sadly, truck drivers are not far behind and seem to regard their cab as an extension of their living room.

I did hear somewhere that car insurers are starting to get worried after damages of over a million pounds were paid to a cyclist who was permanently injured by an irresponsible car driver.
I understand that some companies are pushing for the black box thingy in a car which monitors how you drive, i.e. do you go over the speed limit, go fast arround a round-a-bout, break too heavily etcetera. If you drive carefully and within the law your monthly insurance payment is low. If you drive like a mentalist you have to pay much more.
As governments appear to be scared to sort out the problems of dangerous drivers in the UK, they might lose some votes for heaven’s sake. Would attacking their wallets may be a way to make them pay attention?

There was driver in Scotland got 5 years for killing a cyclist recently. Cycling remains very safe with a very low casualty rate.

i’m worried about the frequency of people on this very forum blaming the cyclists for being hit! If they haven’t read and obeyed every part of CycleCraft it seems to be their own fault when a driver doesn’t pay attention or drives aggresively, as if its the cyclists job to make sure they are ‘out of they way’ so drivers can do as they wish.

You think cyclists should get ‘in the way’?

Can’t really comment on the court proceedings, since there’s not much info there, beyond that there doesn’t seem to be a hit and run charge- this was the guy that owned up belatedly was it? If he was up on hit and run I would expect a stiffer sentence.

That intersection is in a pretty rural area of chch, minor road intersecting with a busy one. In the morning, don’t know what the weather was etc etc- may have been a genuine accident, or more likely careless driving- though sureley that’s be a ‘causing death by careless use’ or equivalent.

Doesn’t do much for transparency rushing through the case though, especially in terms of helping the husband.

As and aside, NZ drivers may be the worst in the western world, imo. Handing out licences at 15, making insurance optional and cheap fast imports from Japan don’t help.

Dunno why I’m posting this but after far too many near misses and a few hots I’m really starting to get fed up with the lenient sentences given out to drivers who just do not pay attention.

Write to your MP?

Andy

As and aside, NZ drivers may be the worst in the western world, imo. Handing out licences at 15, making insurance optional and cheap fast imports from Japan don’t help.

Insurance optional! How can you have financial controls, which is what insurance mostly is, to deter careless driving?

Rather than having a black box in the car why not give a bicycle away with every insurance policy with the proviso insurance is valid for 50/52 weeks and sample how the world through other road users eyes for 2/52.

Even the small step of erecting ‘Cyclists Ahead’ warnings on popular road riding routes would help. The amount of times I’ve gone round a corner on a winding road and thought ‘Christ, what if there’d been a cyclist there?’

TandemJeremy – Member
Cycling remains very safe with a very low casualty rate.

Indeed – I suspect that the average STW commuter is more likely to die from the consequences of high blood pressure getting wound up at car drivers “stupidity” and ranting on the forum than through colliding with one…

ourkidsam – Member

You think cyclists should get ‘in the way’? Either I’ve got the wrong end of the stick or thats a troll/moronic thing to say. Cyclists are part of traffic, they are not “in the way” and should be treated as such, i.e. if cars want to overtake cyclists they should do so safely and in the same way they would overtake a car. Thinking cyclists are “in the way” depressingly seems to be prevelant with car drivers, the same thought shouldn’t be held by a cyclist.

I would vote for optional insurance. Was musing on this last night, I have spent £3k insuring my van over the last 6 years, and claimed £0. Its a state mandated gouge.

But anyway, you can’t get a full licence at 15 in NZ any more, they bought in graduated licences late 80s, the cops would sit outside schools to catch you giving your mates a lift home. I was in 7th form by then so got to laugh and show my full licence.

I would vote for optional insurance. Was musing on this last night, I have spent £3k insuring my van over the last 6 years, and claimed £0. Its a state mandated gouge.

So you’d rather risk bankrupting yourself if you happen to cause a crash and kill/maim someone?

I accidentally (Mrs Daz forgot to renew the policy!) drove around with no insurance for 9 months last year and the potential consequences scared the shit out of me when I found out. It’s really not an advisable way of saving money.

I’ve said it before and I’ll no doubt say it again but deaths caused by cars are somehow acceptable by society. If we had a fraction of the road deaths on a building site there would be outrage.

Either I’ve got the wrong end of the stick or thats a troll/moronic thing to say. Cyclists are part of traffic, they are not “in the way” and should be treated as such, i.e. if cars want to overtake cyclists they should do so safely and in the same way they would overtake a car. Thinking cyclists are “in the way” depressingly seems to be prevelant with car drivers, the same thought shouldn’t be held by a cyclist.

By saying cyclist should be “in the way” I assume Ourkidsam is inferring that cyclists should take control of the road through their position. If you leave just enough room, a car will try to squeeze past no matter if it’s safe or not. if you are slightly further out the driver has to think about what he’s doing and make a decision about when it’s safe to overtake.

The way you cycle on the road doesn’t remove the blame from a driver that hits you because he didn’t see you, but it can reduce the likelihood of it happening in the first place.

I assume Ourkidsam is inferring that cyclists should take control of the road

That’s not how I read it but I could be wrong, does ourkidsam care to clarify?

Actually I’ve just re-read it and I’d originally miss-read the you as an I.

Must concentrate more.

As and aside, NZ drivers may be the worst in the western world, imo. Handing out licences at 15, making insurance optional and cheap fast imports from Japan don’t help.

Yep thats another problem altogether. You can buy a sh1t heap WRX for about 5k which will kill you and anyone you hit quite quickly. No requirement for insurance on it which i believe is the one thing that would limit inexperienced drivers buying fast cars. I remember paying 1500 quid for my Cossie insurance when i was 19 – but it was a limiting factor.

It just amazes me really that the world is like this and I am sad for that guy who has lost his wife and the kids who now have no mum. FFS.

Anyway I’m off to panic grow a beard and head up to the SS Worlds in Rotovegas.