Cycling UK Forum

Warning: the video in this story is quite distressing.
http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/ ... car-218992
No-one can possibly condone the driver's behaviour in doing a runner, leaving the cyclist possibly seriously injured in the roadway.

There is some evidence that the cyclist was RLJing. By stop/starting the video, it is apparent that there are four seconds, after the lights for the car change to green, before the cyclist crosses her stop line. If she was approaching the junction at some speed she might have not had time to stop on the apparently wet road. This does not absolve her from RLJing, nevertheless the driver's action beggars belief.

There is a risk that if the driver is caught and brought to book, he/she may cite the RLJing as a mitigating circumstance. Especially if a 'Mr Loophole' is brought in!

This story has also been reported by the BBC and the Daily Fail. Needless to say, the 'usual suspects' have swarmed the comments column of the latter!

would still be hit and run very serious I think.

Well if the cyclist went through a red light and could have stopped safely that obviously would be a mitigating circumstance for the car driver. The cyclist not wearing a helmet isn't a mitigating circumstance though. Car driver's actions are callous - an obvious question being did they have more to hide than being in a RTC? A good reason for having more high resolution CCTV....

The light was red as the driver approached, then it changed to green. The driver should have waited until the junction was clear before proceeding. That is true whether the cyclist couldn't or wouldn't stop.

It's a shocking incident. I only assume that the driver had some reason not to stop, such as being uninsured, unlicenced, etc. Now they are unlikely to be able to prove who was driving, even they find the vehicle.

Cyclist clearly RLJ. She also eems to react very slowly to the car coming through the junction. It is 4 in the morning, mind. Doesn't excuse the car driver leaving her in a heap in the road.

the worst thing appeared to be the motorist attempting to deliberately try to run over and crush the cyclist AFTER hitting them before finally deciding to take a different route

I think it more likely that in their panic they couldn't get the car into reverse gear properly. It bunny-hops a couple of times - if they'd really wanted to run the cyclist over they could just have put their foot down.

What surprised me about this video is that the car appears to be heading straight on at the TL ,but after the collision and the two lurches forward,it then reverses and abruptly takes a right turn and drives off.
Drunk driving,and didn't want to hang around maybe?

At least the cyclist wasn't seriously injured,which is a blessing.

Panic indeed. An underlying reason perhaps, as some have suggested. If they catch the culprit, hopefully it will all come out during questioning (I feel this is a justifiable cause for applying the 'good cop - bad cop' technique).

I suppose - and hope - I would have reacted differently, should I ever come to this dreadful pass. But how can I know? In the one RTA I can definitely recall for which I was indisputably at fault (I pleaded guilty and got an endorsement), I remember going into a sort of funk: sitting down on the pavement almost in tears. There were no injuries - and no cyclists involved - in that one fortunately.

Drunk, Drugs, etc., change of route 'lets get out of as fast as poss'. Neither was exactly exemplary but to leave the scene. Had that been me at 4am (as I have done on my commutes) I would have approached a red light cautiously, and treated it as a 'give way' only passing the redlight if no traffic approaching... but to leave the scene.....

"The driver didn’t even get out of the car to see if she was alive."

She clearly was a live. The body moved a little bit. Dead people dont move.

I'm guessing thats what the driver would respond, what an *******!