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Cyclists who kill pedestrians by acting dangerously on the road could face life imprisonment under a proposed change to the law.<\/p>\n
Currently, cycling offenders can be imprisoned for no more than two years under an 1861 law originally intended for drivers of horse-drawn carriages.<\/p>\n
A government <\/b>amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill – which is currently going through Parliament – would see cycling offences brought in line with driving offences, the Department for Transport (DfT) said.<\/p>\n
The changes would also mean serious injury caused by dangerous cycling – or death by careless or inconsiderate cycling – could incur punishments of five years in jail, fines, or both.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
A serious injury caused by careless or inconsiderate cycling would result in a two-year sentence, a fine or both under the proposed changes.<\/p>\n
The government estimates that of 1,600 deaths on UK roads last year, four were caused by cyclists.<\/p>\n
A DfT spokesperson said updating the more than 160-year-old legislation would “ensure that the tiny minority who recklessly disregard others face the full force of the law”.<\/p>\n
They added: “Dangerous cycling is completely unacceptable, and the safety of our roads is a key priority for this government.”<\/p>\n
The amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill – which is currently at the committee stage – will be debated by Parliament in “due course”, the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Under the previous government, Conservative MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith campaigned to amend another bill<\/a> – the Criminal Justice Bill – to hold cyclists accountable for reckless behaviour.<\/p>\n