Calls for tougher action against dangerous cyclists

Three leading road safety campaign groups have joined forces to call for dangerous cyclists to be dealt with in the same way as dangerous drivers.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), the charity Brake and the Institute of Advanced Motorists made the call in response to news that a cyclist who broke the skull of a pedestrian after jumping a red light only received an £850 fine, a sentence described as an affront to the victim.

Though a new offence, causing serious injury by dangerous driving, is thought likely to come into force next year, which will be punishable by five years in prison and an unlimited fine, it will not apply to cyclists, something the campaigners want to see changed. A spokesman for the RoSPA said that cyclists have to follow the law the same as drivers and should face the same levels of penalty, while cycling’s Olympic hopeful Mark Canvendish said that cyclists in general had to be more responsible. He said that jumping red lights aggravated other road users.