Cyclist killed on A78 near Irvine.

[Brandane]

BBC report.

A well known cyclist, George O'Hara age 68 from Prestwick, has been killed after being hit by a vehicle on the northbound A78 near Irvine.

I know it's not of much importance to most people, given the tragic circumstances here, but the BBC is reporting the vehicle involved as "a lorry", while it is being widely reported elsewhere as a Vauxhall Movano van. As a lorry driver, it does annoy me that anything bigger than a car gets referred to as a truck/lorry; especially when a collision is involved. It does nothing to help our already tarnished image. A van (weight limit 3.5 tonnes) can be driven by any nobber with a car licence.

 

[raleighnut]

Sad news.
I also echo the comments about biggish 'vans', I've worked with and been driven to site by idiots who drive them as they would their cars not realising they are a lot wider.

 

[Mrs M]

Sad news.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

The driver has been convicted of causing death by dangerous driving and will be sentenced next month.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-37696254

 

[HLaB]

The other sad case I saw today only resulted in a fine

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-37691400

For a moment there I thought the judge had somehow radically changed his verdict.

 

[numbnuts]

RIP

 

[Slick]

The other sad case I saw today only resulted in a fine

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-37691400

For a moment there I thought the judge had somehow radically changed his verdict.

Was she expressing concern that this guy wasn't charged with causing the cyclists death? £400 fine is disgraceful, regardless of the exact charge.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

6 months imprisonment and a three year disqualification.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-38080607

 

[Slick]

Wow, probably shouldn't comment but 6 months. Ffs.

 

[hatler]

I happen to think that the woeful standard of this driving deserves a far stiffer sentence (and also consider that we only have the BBC report to go on).

It is interesting however that he was both charged with and convicted for 'causing death by dangerous driving'. Yet 'all' he had failed to do was to see the cyclist in the 10 to 18 seconds where he apparently would have been visible (which any sane rational person should clearly be able to categorise as 'dangerous' behaviour).

I am sure there have been similar cases where the CPS haven't prosecuted for CDbDD on the (presumed - my presumption) grounds that this was the sort of mistake that anyone could make and they have therefore gone for the lesser charge of 'causing death by careless driving'.

Does this signify that perhaps Scotland are bit more robust in their charging protocols ? Or does it perhaps indicate a shift of emphasis for the whole of the UK ? Or possibly the Beeb report has missed out some particularly egregious aggravating factors ?

 

[hatler]

I'd like to think that any conviction for 'dangerous' anything should result in a minimum 10 year ban (especially so given that the threshold for 'dangerous is set so high). If the act results in any sort of injury, a 20 year ban, and if it causes death, a lifetime ban.