On Tuesday, Peter Bone, Conservative MP for Wellingborough, raised a bill proposing compulsory cycle helmets for under 16s “on a public highway; and for connected purposes” (a somewhat enigmatic phrase). He was supported by fellow Conservative MPs David Amess, Jo Churchill and Chris Chope (with whom Bone has previously collaborated in apparently antagonistic legislative proposals) and Jim Shannon of the DUP.
This is not the first time Bone has made such a proposal—he did so in his first parliamentary term in 2007—and he has long been a prominent advocate of helmet compulsion.
Perhaps this is in part explained by his receipt of £4000 to fund his election candidacy from International Motors, which owns the UK distributors of Subaru, Daihatsu and Isuzu vehicles. It is part of the IM Group which also has extensive property dealings with the automotive industry and logistics. Its website also appears to advertise public space developments.
The owner of IM Group is Lord Edmiston, one of the richest men in the UK. He is a major donor to the Leave campaign and the Conservative party, the latter to the tune of seven figures, and also handsomely bankrolls his evangelical Christian Vision charity. He was made a life peer in 2010, having seen his 2005 nomination derailed by a “tax dispute” with HMRC.
He also chairs the Midlands Industrial Council, which gave £20,000 to the Conservative party in Bone’s Wellingborough constituency in 2005. It is a somewhat secretive group which has been making donations to the Conservative Party since 1946, and counts among its well-heeled members the billionaire boss of JCB, Anthony Bamford, and truck dealer Chris Kelly.
It is not immediately clear what other bills have been raised by Bone in the interests of child casualty prevention.
The government’s “THINK!” road safety campaign today released a new video and a new message in a supposed attempt “to reduce the number of deaths”.
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A jury at Gloucester Crown Court today cleared Daniel Mansell of dangerous driving and attempted grievous bodily harm after an incident last November involving Stephen Barnes, who was cycling in a group of six to eight riders.
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A 16 year old boy died yesterday in a collision on the B9010 between Dallas and Kellas in Moray. Details are scarce at this stage.
More at STV.
Magistrates this week cleared a taxi driver of two charges (of failing to stop at the scene of and report an accident) after he collided with Robert Worrall and his bicycle on 9 November 2014.
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The trial of Andrew Blyth concluded today with the jury taking an hour to return a not guilty verdict in respect of the charge of causing death by careless driving.
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A driver has today been acquitted of dangerous driving following a close and fast pass of a cyclist in Hounslow.
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Perth and Kinross council has adopted a policy of not filling potholes unless they are at least 60mm deep, an increase of 50% over its former threshold.
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It has been confirmed that the cyclist found shortly after midnight on Sunday in Andover has passed away in hospital. Brian Tozer, 46, was a chef from Andover. A 28 year old man has been arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, a charge which now looks set to change to causing death by dangerous driving.
Further details in the casebook.
York taxi firm Streamline Taxis has become “the first in the world” to fit the Cycle Alert system to its vehicles.
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A man who lost control of his car and drove into a tree near Arbroath has been allowed to keep his licence. George Simpson was over four times the legal limit when he was found asleep at the wheel of his crashed car by police officers.
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Today at Guildford Crown Court, Jason Taylor was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment for causing the death of Yvonne Wyeth on 28 May 2015.
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A 52 year old male cyclist was found in the road last night in Weybridge. Police received reports at around 8pm, and do not currently believe any other vehicles were involved.
More details in the casebook.
A 46 year old man was killed this morning while cycling in Llansoy, Monmouthshire. No further details are available at this stage.
A 47 year old man was killed in a collision in Wakefield this morning. The driver involved is assisting with enquiries, and police are appealing for witnesses.
The man killed in a collision near Harbury, Warwickshire on Saturday has been named as Simon Worthington. He leaves a wife, a son, and a second unborn child.
More at the Stratford Observer.
During the trial of Kiaran Giri (who admitted causing death by careless driving, but was acquitted by a jury of causing death by dangerous driving), Judge Huw Thomas QC remarked that, in turning off the street lighting on the road, Swansea Council “didn’t just cut costs, they cut public safety”—reported by the South Wales Evening post as “Judge highlights safety importance of street lights following road death”.
Giri was driving at an estimated 44mph in a 30 limit when he struck and killed Jayne Parker.
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A man was killed yesterday in a collision on the B4452 near Harbury in Warwickshire, involving “a small 4×4”, the driver of which is reported as being male and uninjured. No further information is currently available.
More details will be added on the incident page as they become available.