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news
Police tape (CC licensed by freefotouk on Flickr)Police urge motorists to drive according to the conditions as two convicted of causing cyclist’s death
Police in North Wales have urged motorists to drive their vehicles according to the prevailing conditions and to take extra care around cyclists after two drivers were sentenced in connection with the death of a bike rider on Anglesey.
Robert Idris Llewellyn, known as Bob, lost his life following a collision involving two vehicles on the B5109 in Trefor near Bodedern on the morning of 5 April this year.
A keen cyclist, he had celebrated his 70th birthday – the last before his death – by riding up the Sa Calobra climb on Mallorca with his son, Owain.
The two drivers who pleaded guilty to causing his death through careless driving both claimed to have been temporarily blinded by the sun at the time of the fatal crash.
Both motorists, Tomos Rhys Wheldon Williams, aged 33 and from Holyhead and 63-year-old Kevin Graham Woods of Amlwch, were handed 12-month prison sentences, suspended for one year, 250 hours of community service and 16-month driving bans.
Each had previously pleaded not guilty to the more serious charge of causing death by dangerous driving.
Investigating officer, PC Arwyn Phillips of the North Wales Police Roads Policing Unit said: “The manner of driving of Williams and Woods has left a family without a beloved husband, father, grandfather and a friend to many, and our thoughts and sympathies very much remain with Mr Llewellyn’s family at this time.
“In this case both motorists were blinded by the sun for a significant amount of time so we would also like to emphasise that the sun can impact on visibility and motorists need to take appropriate action in either slowing down or if necessary, be able to stop within the distance that they can see to be clear.
“As cyclists become more prevalent on our roads, drivers need to be more aware of their responsibilities and take extra care,” he continued.
“Drivers need to look out for cyclists and ensure they give plenty of space when overtaking them, leaving as much room as you would give a car.
“If there isn’t sufficient space to pass drivers need to hold back until it is safe to move,” he added.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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47 comments
Because if your actions cost someone's life, you deserve it. [/quote]Let's bring back hanging while we're at it, that'll stop 'em.
Oh wait, it doesn't.
[/quote]
Alan Partridge will help you out here, it'll stop one.
Let's bring back hanging while we're at it, that'll stop 'em.
Oh wait, it doesn't.
[/quote]
Alan Partridge will help you out here, it'll stop one.[/quote]
Monkey Tennis?
Both men are locals so would know that winding B-road road well. Low sun is no excuse anyway and the crash happened at 7:40, a whole hour after sunrise.
Bob Llewelyn's widow asked that the drivers were not sent to prison - Daily Post. I agree that prison is unlikely to help anyone in such cases; but a little more than a year without a driving licence looks like a very light slap on the wrist to me.
Every condolence to her, but if this is true, and it was taken into account, then it is yet another example of those charged with administering the criminal law failing to understand it. Criminal law is not there for the victim, or the victim’s family. It is there for all of us, for the good of society as a whole. We all have an interest. The victim’s widow may not have wanted them to be imprisoned. Other members of society might wish otherwise.
Agree completely. Prisons are already overcrowded. I'd rather see longer - much, much, much longer - bans
Prison WILL help, not Mr Llewelyn, but the next potential victims of drivers ploughing head on into blind bends or a low sun or across junctions without looking properly. Prison would be the detereent to change driver behaviour. Prison could save the lives of the next 120 cyclists who will be killed in 2018, or the 1200 cyclists killed over the nect 10 years. Or the 4,000 seriously injured every year. Or the 40,000 seriously injured over ther next decade. A serious sentence is a deterrent. Deterrents change behaviour and that is the solution to the thousands of deaths on our roads.
Sorry, but it doesn't work.
If prison worked the reoffending rates would be tiny.
If the death penalty worked the murder rate in the USA would be a fraction of what it is.
As has already been said, drivers don't think it will happen to them. It's called the optimism bias. You could read about the accident pyramid and how near misses, rather than prompt a driver to be more cautious, allow them to think that risky behaviour is 'safe' because it didn't result in a negative outcome (crash).
A case like this will not be on BBC News At Ten, hourly news bulletins and the front page of every single newspaper so the vast majority of the population will not know that a driver could go to prison for accidentally crashing into another person.
So how is prison a deterrent? A complete change of mindset is required regarding how to behave on the road. Millionaire F1 tax evaders are not lauded as heroes. Car adverts, reviews and overpaid TV pundits do not put all their energy into discussing speed, looks, exhaust sound etc. Admittedly we can't go back to the days of Reginald Molehusband but something has to change in society's perception of how to behave in cars, vans and lorries so that speed and risk-taking is socially unacceptable.
Not using the word "accidentally" to describe a foreseeable consequence of a a deliberate decision to drive badly might be a start.
My memory is that drink driving became (mostly) unacceptable bevause of a mixture of publicity, severe punishment and effective enforcement. Given that our cretinous Transport Minister can't even face punishing killer drivers properly i don't suppose it will happen.
So what there saying is, it would not have mattered if they had wearing hi viz jackets, trousers or a stupid vest they would still would not have been seen.
Hope the MPs are taking note.
Nope to busy counting there monies in the Caymen Islands
Surprisingly heavy sentences given that many other courts would have accepted their excuse as a valid reason for killing another road user. Also interesting that they pleaded guilty to the charge, so I wonder what their legal advisers told them, and why they just didn't plead not guilty.
“Plead not guilty and the CPS will go for Dangerous Driving and I can’t guarantee you will avoid prison” probably.
I would normally say that the sun shouldn't exactly be unexpected but this was Wales.
Previously I've seen reports of people getting let off because of this bullshit excuse. OK, you can argue about the severity of the sentence but at least it's saying that driving too fast for the conditions is not an excuse.
Was about to post the same. Far too lenient a sentence still but at least they were prosecuted and had the decency to plead guilty. Sadly part of me does think if they had pleaded not guilty a jury would've let them off with the sun in eyes excuse.
Childish
Whilst we might agree that this is not enough of a punishment, I think a lot of credit is due to North Wales Police here. They investigated, collected the evidence and presented it in such a way as to ensure there was a result of sorts, which might give some small comfort to the family. There are other forces who might not have been so keen.
No, I have no connection with that or any other force, before you ask.
I should have pushed it further but a driver who clipped me got let off with the same excuse. Fortunately it only sent me into a soft verge
There is a massive difference in cloud cover and precipitation between Anglesey and the hilly areas like Snowdonia or Plynlimon.
Well, I suppose the police have no option but to "urge" drivers not to drive like cunts and kill other road users. After all, if all the courts can impose is a short driving ban and a bit of community sercice, what other option is open to them?
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