The family of Notting Hill victim Eilidh Cairns are outraged about the February 2009 incident being shoddily investigated and in June 2011 that complacency has resulted in a death being repeated two years later !
Those interested to see more of these stories can use these links :
http://lcc.org.uk/articles/lorry-driver-that-killed-cyclist-in-2009-involved-in-second-fatal-collision
http://road.cc/content/news/47057-eilidh-cairns-killer-implicated-second-london-lorry-fatality
WHEN WAS KEEPING TRAFFIC MOVING MORE IMPORTANT than collecting Evidence ?
Has the Police Authorities taken any action regarding “ Investigation Procedures ” or even retraining of any of the Police Officers involved in the Feb 2009 incident ? Likely answer is NO !
Cyclists in traffic are constantly “ bullied ” and yet we have the “ Polis ” trying to get more people on their bikes ! Seeing “ Boris ” riding without a helmet encourages people to emulate the risk . Many people I find with facial injuries have these in places where the helmet strap could have been and in one of my reports from the Tour de France I stopped to help Touring Cyclists who left their helmets at home . The damage to the scalp was enough for an ambulance ride , and disrupted their touring holiday , “ it can’t happen to me ” attitude prevails .
This latest death was on a pedestrian crossing involving a 97yo lady that survived the Nazis by moving to London . Marlebone Road is dense traffic day long and the pedestrian crossings are mostly on traffic lights but I will not go into detail . Driving this stretch of road over the years I have found it either free flowing in excess of the speed limit or crawling at a snail’s pace and it is never a pleasant experience .
Had the Authorities investigated the first accident in the correct manner then there is every chance the driver would have been “disqualified from driving ” or even possibly served a custodial sentence but the £200 penalty and 3 points is derisory for “ uncorrected eyesight ” ! Did the CPS decide this was the minimum charge that could be presented in court as a result of the incompetence exhibited at the accident site ?
Coroners Courts have an important job and rarely do they fail to satisfy the needs of all concerned but on this occasion there have been failures that need to be addressed for the future benefit of all ! As it stands both the magistrate handing down the £200 penalty and the Coroner in the first incident must be asking themselves if they could have done more and thus one hopes they will be more rigorous when they deal with further Traffic Deaths ?
