Community sentence for driver who claimed car's A-pillar meant he didn't see cyclist he killed

The driver was only affected by the A-Pillar because HE FAILED to look around it properly! No matter how big the A-Pillar is, the driver has the responsibility to make sure that the road ahead is clear. If that means moving your head to one side or leaning forward to look properly then so be it. Truly pathetic excuse and an equally pathetic sentence. RIP Mr Sims.

So the penalty for *killing* someone in real life is only slightly higher than the penalty for simply *cheating* in a virtual race (https://road.cc/content/news/zwift-hands-two-more-bans-riders-falsifying...)?

Wow! You couldn't make it up, could you? I wonder what Franz Kafka would make of it all?

Pitiful sentance and a not very believable excuse for bad driving.

Having said that, understanding blind spots is REALLY important for cyclists safety.

Blind Spots are bigger than you think, there is a phenomenon called windscreen zoning, which says that drivers tend not to make eye fixations near the edge of their windscreen. Blind Spots move with the vehicle. You dont always know when you are in a blind spot, which means there is no defense.

For a sobering picture Google   -    Cyclist Death Ipley Blindspot    -   (for some reason I cannot paste the link, but this pulls up a load of relevent articles on the topic

To add something slightly new to this, my bike is around 7 feet long (probably, I've never really laid down next to it) and if I'm riding side by side my friend and I are probably taking up at least 6 feet of width.

There were two cyclists so did he not see an object at least 14ft by 2 ft or an object 7ft by 6ft? Just how big are those pillars!

250 hours community service?

Are they doing community service during Covid?- or can they just work from home on virtual litter-picking?

Joke driving ban, community service- usual forgiveness for killing a cyclist. Typical type of excuse which is essentially I don't bother looking for cyclists, and which seems to be generally accepted by the police. I apologise for mentioning this yet again but when I, as a stationary cyclist waiting to exit Sainsbury's onto the main road, was hit by a driver cutting the corner turning into Sainsbury's, the police response was 'it was only a momentary loss of concentration, no further action'. I was lucky and wasn't smashed to pulp by the bike being rammed back into my pelvis- I was just hit on the shoulder by the mirror and got a stiff neck. I spent a lot of time fighting the police standard brush-off, but all I achieved was the joke driving course. Now I get straight onto police dodging, no messing around- you have to hurt the b*******, or they will try everything to avoid action.

Another depressingly lenient sentence. Lock em up or string em up and never ever let them drive again!

Anytime I'm turning right or left, I'm looking out of the side window, not trying to see through the A pillar. What a load of wank.

Check this image:

Playing armchair collision investigator here, but the police report says that the car was in Fitton End Road and turned at the junction to join Roman Bank, Leverington.

Doesn't say which way the car turned or direction of travel of the cyclists.

On Google maps I can only find one junction as described above. The view is as the driver will have come up to the junction.

The junction is massive and apparently (I don't know how old the image is) clear of any obstruction. 

WTF! The drive had to blame the A-pillar as there was nothing else to blame! 

He's never seen the cyclists because he's never looked for them. Looked for cars or tractors yes, but not bikes 

Looking at the junction mentioned in the article you can see that (in 2009 at least) anyone turning right out of cuts the corner based on the stones on the road. So I suspect he gave a curosry glance and then without stopping or significantly slowing as it was "clear" just drove straight into the unfortunate cyclist. Multiple bad driving but yes, lets do him on careless as we don't trust in our ability to convince people otherwise. 

Another joke justice sentence for taking a life. 

How will the population as a whole ever change their vehicle behaviours if the worst that would likely happen is an 18month driving ban. Eighteen months of not driving is shameful, it is not justice served for the deceased cyclists family.

The only way this will change is when the law agrees that owing a driving licence is not a 'right' but a privilege. 

A-pillars are the new blinded by the sun. If this had been a pedestrian would the sentence have been the same?

. Should of told the courts it was his windsheild that blocked his view that way he wouldn't have community sentence. Crazy it like the judges never had children who rode a bike. And they never rode one themselves

Many years ago I owned a Bedford CF van. Like all panel vans I suspect, visibility to the left and rear is severely compromised. Junctions, especially those at an angle could be really difficult to get a proper view. My solution, I added another mirror.

It seems to me that mitigating a thick 'A' pillar is somewhat simpler.

1. Move your head to look around the obstruction.

2. Unless you are absolutely sure you have seen what is there to be seen. STOP!

Beyond collecting statistics to help improve legislation around driver training or for vehicle design standards, using the 'A' pillar defence as an excuse when you have killed someone due to not making the slightest effort to look properly should be ignored for the purposes of sentencing.

From the potential victim's side, the old adage about making eye contact with the driver of a vehicle which may potentially come into your path, especially those waiting at junctions is very relevant.

My Ford Focus has poor view to the rear wings, a fact of which (as a cyclist and motorcyclist) I'm highly aware. Some years ago I rented a classic Porsche 911 from the late 70s and was amazed at the really good all-round view from the driver's seat. Modern cars have improved in terms of occupant protection, but the downside is that visibility can be poor for the driver. A good driver should be aware of this and use extra caution for certain manoeuvres as a result.