Change in Road Safety Law Approved by Solicitors

Published: 6th October 2017

If you have been watching the news recently you will have no doubt seen the case of Charlie Alliston, which has recently come to conclusion.

For those that haven’t, Alliston was riding a bicycle not intended to be used on the roads (it had no brakes fitted) when a pedestrian stepped out in the road in front of him. Alliston collided with the pedestrian, who went on to die of her injuries.

The trial for this case was long and complicated, mainly because the wording of the law left Alliston in a grey area with regards to what crime he actually committed. In the end he was charged with ‘wanton and furious driving’ and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

This is not the first time the courts have struggled with a case of this kind, but now there is a review being held to overhaul criminal law to encompass situations like this, to make sure there is proper process in place, and that victims, their families and their loved ones, can rest easy knowing justice was carried out.

The first phase of this review is to create an offence similar to ‘causing death by dangerous driving’, but having it apply to cyclists. By doing so both the victims and cyclists are properly protected by clear law.

The second phase of this overhaul will include a wider consultation on cycling on the road, working with road safety and cycling organisations, as well as the general public.

Transport minister Jesse Norman said “It’s great that cycling has become so popular in recent years but we need to make sure that our road safety rules keep pace with this change. We already have strict laws that ensure that drivers who put people’s lives at risk are punished but, given recent cases, it is only right for us to look at whether dangerous cyclists should face the same consequences.”

Liddy’s Solicitors have offices in both Wakefield and Barnsley. We have specialised in personal injury since we began over 10 years ago. In this time we have worked with cases where cyclists were at fault, and were also the victims of accidents.

If you feel you have been a victim of this kind of personal injury then just call our offices on  Wakefield 01924 780 753 or Barnsley 01226 731 314.