Printer friendly page

Tyre fine for bike deaths driver

The driver of a car that skidded on black ice and killed four cyclists has been fined for having defective tyres. Brake's chief executive, Mary Williams called the sentence an 'outrage'.

Robert Harris, 47, lost control on the road near his home on 8 January, where 12 members of Rhyl Cycling Club were on a training ride.

He admitted three counts of driving with defective tyres and was fined £180 and given six penalty points at Llandudno Magistrates' Court. Magistrates said the defective tyres 'were not a contributory factor'.

Diane Williams, prosecuting, told the court that a police investigation found that Mr Harris's defective tyres - the front pair and rear nearside - were not the cause of the crash.

"The Crown took the decision that in the circumstances, tyre tread is there to displace liquid debris from the road to give a better grip," she said. "In this situation, the examination has found there was no liquid there - it was black ice, consequently the defective tyres couldn't have been a contributory factor to the collision."

Mary Williams said: "It is an outrage that Robert Harris has not even lost his license yet four people have lost their lives. He made irresponsible decisions to drive in hazardous conditions and not to check the state of his tyres."

For the full story go to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/5241798.stm

16.01.06 - Cycling 'extraordinarily safe activity' - CTC director