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This is from my parents local paper. It tell the story of a Farther of 2, grandad to 1 and a wife.

He rode bikes for nearly 30 years, he was killed the other week by a 35 year old girl that was leaning over to the passengers side door pocket to get a hankie as she was sneezing.
Whist doing this with one hand on the sterring wheel and her head below the height of the dash board of the car , she steered the car across to the wrong side of the road and collided with the bike rider killing him out right.

Our laws need change if mototcycle riders are to be protected from minldss stupitdy such as this. Are they saying that killing some one in a situation like this is only worth a fine and to be banned from the road for such a short period of time.

I,m sorry to put this on here but itmade me so angry to see that yet again people that cause death by dangerous driving get away with only minor punishment. Lets face it, attacking some one in the street gets you a heavier fine than this .
Well i,m done

I agree mate... it's fudging scandalous. She'll be back in a car in no time, probably doing the same thing. It's a mockery of the justice system - that bird who was eating a fecking apple in her car got the same lenient treatment - although the focus then was 'it's mindless that someone's been prosicuted for this. Still could have minced anyone of us in though.

While i'm on it, can someone please explain to me, rationally, why it's illegal to hold/use a mobile phone whilst driving and yet not illegal to take your hand off the fecking wheel to hold/smoke/flick a fag, let alone have a burning object in the car whilst driving. That seriously fecks me off.

Its no good having a law when theres no cops to police it,cameras don't pick it up & the few traffic cops that are left are way too busy protecting society from the real criminals who ride/drive their bikes/cars over the speed limit

I was talking to the missus about this earlier today.

Its a sad indictment of this country when you can go to jail for breaking the speed limit on an empty road (harming no-one, or anything) yet you can kill someone through a complete act of stupidity and get away with a ban.

Yeah in some ways the roads are getting worse and driving standards are going through the floor (were they ever really that good anyway though?)

However I now see less police on the roads than ever. That means you can get away with misbehaving a bit more than you used to, but it also means so can everyone else too.

The question you need to ask yourselves is, do we *really* want out roads policed to the extent that no-one gets away with eating an apple/smoking a fag/fiddling with the radio while behind the wheel? Things that millions of people do every single day with no ill consequences? Because if people were caught and prosecuted for things such as those, then you can bet that having a bit of fun on the bike would be completely out the window too.

As much as it pisses me off when I see some of the ridiculous antics on the roads, our driving standards are still better than many other countries in europe, although admittedly bike awareness/consideration is particularly bad here. And I for one don't want some sneaky plod jumping out from a bush and slapping an NIP on me for every minor but usually harmless infringement of the law.

So basically, I'd rather have a bit of freedom even if it means that I have to put up with the consequences of other people having a bit of freedom too!

Be careful out there, it's a jungle....

is it really an offence to smoke whilst driving a car?
we're all aware riding/driving is potentially dangerous and acts of stupidity or recklessness should be heavily punished, but you can't legislate against everything that falls short of perfection. nose picking? butt scratching?

In this instance the time(isnt any) doesnt match the crime
Havin said that, it wasnt a premeditaded act of violence, although the end result was the same

Only last week early morning going to my work ,i saw 2 drivers drinking out of those insulated mugs with the lids

Were only human ,and anyone of us could make 1 mistake with dire consequences, and, if most of us are honest, most of us have made mistakes at some point, and got away with it , ie, on the bike overcooking it in a corner, or ,when in the car going to overtake on the motorway, and not seeing another car in blindspot .
I bet most of us has at sometime, even bought a goody when in the petrol station, to eat in the car, whether a packet of crisps or a mars bar etc
I've had a few close shaves, as a biker ,it happens regularly, infact when i joined this forum Cupasoop(he was in a car) saw me overtaking a few cars when one decided to pull out on me ,but,i tend to not make too much of a big deal about it, cos, who knows, next time it could be me who makes a mistake

I agree with what most of you have mentioned.

But I feel that your all missing the point, that being is to punish stupidty of people that cause situations like this to come to such a tragic end .

If people full well know that there going to basically get of lightly when they have done such things as this , then they will never change there ways.
A simple clear message is what,s required, you do it and your gonna pay the price, no matter how hard it,s gonna be for you or your family. I mean , who,s gonna look after this guys family now he,s been killed. The girl who was driving the car, dont think so.

Grumble over .

I agree with both your sentiments, I wasn't referring to the case at the top of this thread as the thread had sorta gone off at a tangent.

This country, for as long as I can remember has always punished the potentially dangerous far far more than the actually dangerous. Sad fact.

Someone I know at work speeded through some roadworks, daft but no-one gets hurt: 90 day ban and £600 fine.

Scrote drives around with no licence and insurance, gets pulled over on Police-Camera-Action including full-on helicopter pursuit with five police cars on his tail.....£200 fine and 30 day ban.