Original Story on BBC:
Excerpt:
Images posted on the internet of a Kent schoolboy jumping onto the roof of a moving single-decker bus have been condemned as idiotic and irresponsible.
The video was filmed near the Chequers shopping centre in Maidstone and posted on YouTube in spring 2008 but has only just come to the attention of police…
You just have to chuckle sometimes. You can find the full story on Sky News.
Excerpt:
Mix-Up: Police have dropped both prosecution cases and apologised to Mr Buck
Jeff Buck, 55, has recieved two fines in the post and letters of intended prosection for the offences.
His parked car had been snapped by a speed camera on his street, apparently as other cars sped past.
The latest incident occured on 13 December 2009.
Full Story Can Be Found On the South Manchester Reporters website.
Excerpt:
THE family of a man killed by a speeding motorist say they are disgusted the driver was jailed for just two and a half years.
Sisters of John Strickland Tyson, Dorothy Grubb and Margaret Jackson, broke down in tears after the sentence at Manchester Crown Court.
Saqib Hussain ploughed into Mr Tyson who was pushing his bicycle across a road in Chorlton.
He was doing speeds of up to 37 miles an hour in a 30 zone as the light was fading on November 20, 2008. He had overtaken several cars and had been driving too fast along Wilbraham Road shortly before the crash, the court heard.
Whats even more apalling about this story is that he swerved to avoid Mr Tyson, then drove off – coming back a few minutes later and ringing 999.
Tameside Adveriser story can be found here.
A CYCLIST is in hospital after he collided with a car in Ashton.
Police were called to Ashton Old Road, close to the junction with Alan Turing Way and Pottery Lane, at about 10.40am on Tuesday, following reports of a collision between a pedal cyclist and a blue-coloured Citroen Xsara Picasso.
A 42-year-old man suffered serious head injuries and was transferred to Hope Hospital where his condition is described as critical, but stable
If anyone witnessed the collision, please call traffic police on 0161 856 3572.
Full story can be found here on the BBC.
Excerpt:
A cat which became a celebrity by travelling around Plymouth on the bus has died after reportedly being struck by a car.
Casper, a 12-year-old black and white cat, used to wait with commuters at the bus stop and then hop on to the number 3 to find a seat to curl up on.
The cat was so well-known on the First Devon and Cornwall service, drivers knew which stop to let him off at.
Here are some of the headlines about it from other papers:
Daily Mail: Cat Who Boarded Same Bus Every Day For Four Years Killed In Hit And Run
Telegraph: Cat famed for catching the bus killed in ‘hit and run
Daily Express: He’s caught the last bus
Full story can be found on the BBC here.
Excerpt of story:
A girl, 10, was killed when an airbag inflated with such force it fractured her skull, an inquest has heard.
Chloe Bunney, of Felinheli, Gwynedd, was sending a text message when her mother lost control of the car as she tried to help her daughter.
The hearing at Caernarfon heard Jolene Bunney, 29, collided with an Audi and another car in Porthmadog, on 29 May.
Recording a verdict of accident death, coroner Dewi Pritchard-Jones said airbags “do have their own dangers”.
…
Ms Bunney said: “I leaned over and looked at what she was doing.
“The next thing I felt was the side impact and the airbags went off and the car just spun. I couldn’t control it.”
…
I’ve just discovered a fantastic application on the BBCs website thats been there since 15th December. They have plotted all the road deaths in the UK from 1999 to 2008 and placed them on a map. You can even search for your police force and get figures. It also breaks the figures down by sex and how the person was travelling at the time. You can, if interested, also get age groups and times of deaths.
Here are the total number of road deaths caused in Britain each year:
In 2008, the BBC quotes, 2,538 deaths where caused with nearly a quarter of a million injuries.
Some more facts and figures:
And a few figures relating the the newest set of data (2008):
A perfect quote by Cathy Keeler from the charity Brake:
“This is an epidemic that strikes indiscriminately, affecting people of all ages, devastating communities. If more than 30,000 people had been killed on trains or planes in the last ten years there would be a national outcry and politicians would be falling over themselves in the rush to implement policies to stop the carnage”
And here is a more frightening statistic:
“In 2000, some 67% exceeded 30mph in built-up areas, whereas by 2007, that proportion was down to 48%. Speeding in excess of 35mph is also down by a third.”
So that is saying that basically just under half of all drivers speed in built up areas!
The fantastic, if somewhat sad statistics can be found here.
Full story can be found here
Excerpt:
A GRANDAD on a mobility scooter was nearly four times the drink-drive limit when he was stopped by police – with a woman on his knee.
John Powell, who was riding along the pavement, said: “I was only doing four miles an hour at the time so I wasn’t going quickly but the police officer told me I’d been causing chaos when he pulled me over.
“How could I have been causing chaos on a mobility scooter at 4mph? It’s walking speed.”
Powell, 51, who admitted that he had ‘knocked back a rum or two and a couple of pints of bitter’ said: “The police over-reacted. I don’t regret it as I don’t think I was doing anything wrong. You should be allowed to enjoy yourself.”
Full Story at This Is London.
A taxi driver who ploughed into a traffic warden who gave him a ticket has been jailed for six months.
Martin Sadler, 56, slammed into John Tamele-Ssali, catapulting the parking attendant onto the bonnet of his VW Passat in Shoreditch.
Mr Tamele-Ssali, 54, hit the windscreen with such force that it cracked, and he rolled on to the bonnet before falling to the ground when Sadler finally came to halt after 15 yards.
Witness Aaron Rudd, who was working on a nearby pub, heard Sadler say: “He deserves it, the c*** gave me a ticket.” However, moments later Sadler was seen repeatedly banging his head on the steering wheel, crying: “What have I done?”
Full Story at This Is London.
The Scotsman reported today about a suggestion made by the Scottish Government regarding getting cyclists to pay “Road Tax”.
The question asked was “Should all road users pay road tax? If so, how much should it be for cyclists and how could it be enforced?”
Out of 258 individuals and groups that responded, 178 disagreed with the idea, according to a report into the consultation results. Only six thought it was a good proposal, 57 had no view, and 17 said they may agree with the idea.
Of course, much like the Daily Mail and it’s anti cycling stories, comments have followed in thick and fast:
A rather brave Gdgy states:
If they don’t pay road tax then we should be allowed to shoot them when they break the rules, ride on the pavement or wear those stupid flouresecent outfits without any LIGHTS!!!!!
Urban Guerilla encourages the shooting adding:
Maybe a bit extreme, but it’s very tempting……
Tommy Cooper says:
Road Tax is stupid. What is appropriate is a fine for cycling on the pavement. One of these days I’m going to have a set to with one of these idiots who cycle at great speed on the pavement. Don’t they realise that they are breaking the law!
Fine – yes… Setting too to make a point – equally as “law breaking” as pavement cycling.
It never ceases to amazing me how many times comments like this come out – people NEVER take into account that there is a Band A group of cars that, due to low emissions, don’t pay Vehicle Excise Duty. People never take into account that a very large proportion of “these cyclists” have perfectly legal, VED’d cars sat on their drives at home. I could go on, but I would bore you.
And yes, I do have a car sat at home that I pay VED for (Band F) along with an MOT every year, with a full service history, on a paid for private parking space.
Carlton Reid has set up a great website reporting on all things “Road Tax” (abolished 70+ years ago I add) here. Go check it out.
