This case is slightly different in that the man's driving caused the
death of his own son , which would have been taken into account in the
sentencing.
But other killer drivers get away with even less sanction.
For instance, take the case of Peter Williams, a 22-year-old cyclist
who was killed in January 2000 after a driver hit him with her wing
mirror. He fell under the wheels of a following vehicle. The driver
admitted driving without due care and attention but was fined just
£200. No penalty points were applied despite a history of offences
which would have meant an immediate ban under `totting up`. Phillip
Judge, Chairman of the Bench in Cheltenham, said a driving ban would
prevent her from taking her children the 2 miles to school and
therefore cause too much hardship.
The idea that punishments should not cause hardship to the offender is
a new one to me.
Nor is this unusual. 25-year-old Carl Fox from Doncaster was killed by
a driver travelling at 46mph in a 30mph zone. The driver was fined
£100 and three penalty points. And Peter Longbottom, a racing cyclist
of international repute, was held to have contributed to his demise by
using a flashing rear light. The transport department has figures
showing that these, while technically illegal, are three to five times
more visible than a steady light.
And more recently 17-year-old Jason Salter was knocked off his bike and
killed by a woman who chose to try to overtake in the face of oncoming
traffic, necessitating her passing far too close - a situation
familiar to and dreaded by any regular cyclist. This triumph of
impatience over respect for human life netted the driver a whopping
£135 fine (less than the cost of a bicycle) and just six penalty
points.
