Two 13-year-old cyclists were injured in separate collisions in the same town on Monday, with the motorist and motorcyclist involved in the respective incidents both fleeing the scene.
In the first of the hit-and-run incidents to take place in Newton-le-Willows, a market town in St Helens, on Monday, a teenage boy was cycling with two friends to school at around 8.20am when he was struck by an alleged red light jumping motorist while crossing the Ashton Road, near Hope Academy School, the St Helens Star reports.
According to Merseyside Police, the group of schoolchildren were crossing at a set of traffic lights when the driver of a white BMW drove through the red light and hit one of them, knocking him off his bike and onto the vehicle’s bonnet.
A police spokesperson added that the motorist failed to check on the boy’s condition before driving away. The 13-year-old sustained a slight injury to his leg in the collision.
> Questions asked after another police force keen to highlight crackdown on cyclists jumping red lights
Later that evening, on Crow Lane West, about a mile and a half from where the previous collision took place, another 13-year-old cyclist was hit by a motorcyclist whilst stationary at a traffic island.
The incident, which took place at around 6.50pm, saw the rider of a black motorbike mount the pavement and catch the young cyclist’s handlebars, knocking him to the ground.
The motorcyclist then promptly fled the scene, according to the police, leaving the teenager with bruising and cuts to his arms and legs.
Merseyside Police have launched appeals to identify the driver and motorcyclist involved in both collisions, with anyone with information or footage of the incidents asked to @MerPolCC on Twitter or Merseyside Police Contact Centre on Facebook, quoting reference numbers 353 of June 26 (for the morning collision) and 886 of June 26 for the evening one.
> Student cycling to school knocked off bike after being hit by parent driving a car, suffers minor injuries
The back-to-back incidents involving young cyclists in Newton-le-Willows come less than a week after a child cycling to school in Bristol suffered minor injuries and was left “shocked” after being knocked off his bike by a parent on the school run.
Ben Houghton, headteacher at the school in question, has now urged parents to not drop their children off directly in front of the school gates, due to the narrowness and limited visibility of the road leading to the school.
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No ifs, no buts* anyone who drives away from a road collision that has left someone on the road injured should get an automatic 10 year ban and ideally a custodial sentence.
* one exception: anyone trying to flee eScooter / eBike / eMotorbike mugger type individual and gangs - and in that case they should park up as soon as possible and dial 999 to report themselves / their location.
^All of this. Twice.
Are hit and runs in general on the increase or just ones involving people on bikes?
There is a problem with hit and run that presumes a 'momentary loss of attention' and not a deliberate cynical attempt to evade responsibility for law breaking. Even providing evidence sufficient to identify a vehicle is not followed up by police and the driver responsible being held to account.
In practice Avoidance is much better than Enforcement.
Ride safe..
Apparently a general 45% increase in hit and runs between 2013 and 2017. Probably directly related to the huge number of drivers who are one or more of uninsured, unlicenced, untaxed and unfit through drink or drugs! Some estimates put that at 1 in 10 drivers on our roads today.
It is disgusting to know that in a G7 nation our society, and those who lead it, STILL cannot bring themselves to reign in the dangers that motorists present to vulnerable road users with penalty and prison sentences that would actually make a difference. The dice are loaded in favour of the greater danger in our road spaces which has to change. If they did act towards dangerous motorist behaviour society would be safer, healthier and happier as people would think twice. We are still waiting for sentence review!
Because the motor and oil industry dictate the agenda to the politicians and news editors.
Attitude and Behaviour must change. The Road Collision Reporting Guidelines must be enforced to regulate the mainstream and social media. The Department of Culture Media and Sports should take responsibility for that and protect vulnerable road users since it's clear that the Department of Transport changes to the Highway Code - Hierarchy of Responsibility has had little or no effect. Their key metric of Killed or Seriously Injured is not fit for purpose nor aligned with Active Travel. Dis-Joined government!
Ban on cycling to school incoming from Hope Academy in 3... 2... 1...
. . . and call for bike number plates, because 'hit & run innit'
There is literally no way of finding out who was in charge of the bike at the time! They're made in numbers and look the same. Some of them are used by more than one person or even operated by rental / fleet organisations, and these bikes can have tinted windscreens so you can't... oh, wait...