Action needed to stop cyclists being victims of hit & run
Posted: 24 Nov 2011, 12:06am
News Release
Jenny Jones
London Assembly Green Party Member
http://www.london.gov.uk/profile/jenny-jones
Press Office: 020 7983 4424, 07967 205 330 Jenny: 07786 277 376
Embargoed: 24th November 2011
Action needed to stop cyclists being victims of hit & run
New figures from the Metropolitan Police show that around 15 cyclists a week were killed or injured as a result of a hit and run in London last year. Cyclists account for nearly a fifth of the casualties arising from hit and runs, even though they account for only around 2% of the trips on our roads.
Pedestrians and cyclists are both disproportionately affected by hit and runs in London. 985 pedestrians were injured in a collision involving one or more vehicle that failed to stop. This is 26.5% of all the hit and run injuries, significantly higher than the 18.5% of the total casualties who are pedestrians.
A cyclist who submitted video evidence of bad driving was told by the Met Police that they could only use video evidence as part of a prosecution if it was taken by “an approved device” and included “an audit trail”.
Jenny Jones said:
“Hit and runs are a massive problem in London due to the large number of uninsured and unlicensed drivers. I can understand why some cyclists are now filming their journeys and presenting that as evidence to the police when there is a collision. The police have raised questions about the legitimacy of this evidence. However, it would be wrong of the police to automatically disregard this evidence, as it is our best hope of discouraging this irresponsible crime of hit and run. I also hope that the Commissioner will clamp down on illegal vehicles and encourage his officers to take a victim led approach, so they take cyclist and pedestrian complaints seriously.”
ENDS
3,713 casualties were injured in collisions involving one or more vehicle that failed to stop in the Metropolitan Police Service area in 2010. The table (below) shows the cyclist and pedestrian ‘hit & run’ casualties and a comparison with the total casualties for 2010.
Pedestrian Pedal cycle
No of hit & run casualties 985 709
% of hit & run casualties 26.5% 19%
% of total casualties 18.5% 14%
2. Cyclist Mathew Saywell was involved in an incident involving a driver allegedly taking a left turn whilst on his mobile phone. He submitted video evidence, taken from his head cam, to the Metropolitan Police, but was told that:
“We acknowledge your video and agree that the driver appears to have committed an offence. However, for us to bring a prosecution before a magistrates the video evidence has to be submitted and filmed via an approved device with an audit trail.”
Jenny Jones
London Assembly Green Party Member
http://www.london.gov.uk/profile/jenny-jones
Press Office: 020 7983 4424, 07967 205 330 Jenny: 07786 277 376
Embargoed: 24th November 2011
Action needed to stop cyclists being victims of hit & run
New figures from the Metropolitan Police show that around 15 cyclists a week were killed or injured as a result of a hit and run in London last year. Cyclists account for nearly a fifth of the casualties arising from hit and runs, even though they account for only around 2% of the trips on our roads.
Pedestrians and cyclists are both disproportionately affected by hit and runs in London. 985 pedestrians were injured in a collision involving one or more vehicle that failed to stop. This is 26.5% of all the hit and run injuries, significantly higher than the 18.5% of the total casualties who are pedestrians.
A cyclist who submitted video evidence of bad driving was told by the Met Police that they could only use video evidence as part of a prosecution if it was taken by “an approved device” and included “an audit trail”.
Jenny Jones said:
“Hit and runs are a massive problem in London due to the large number of uninsured and unlicensed drivers. I can understand why some cyclists are now filming their journeys and presenting that as evidence to the police when there is a collision. The police have raised questions about the legitimacy of this evidence. However, it would be wrong of the police to automatically disregard this evidence, as it is our best hope of discouraging this irresponsible crime of hit and run. I also hope that the Commissioner will clamp down on illegal vehicles and encourage his officers to take a victim led approach, so they take cyclist and pedestrian complaints seriously.”
ENDS
3,713 casualties were injured in collisions involving one or more vehicle that failed to stop in the Metropolitan Police Service area in 2010. The table (below) shows the cyclist and pedestrian ‘hit & run’ casualties and a comparison with the total casualties for 2010.
Pedestrian Pedal cycle
No of hit & run casualties 985 709
% of hit & run casualties 26.5% 19%
% of total casualties 18.5% 14%
2. Cyclist Mathew Saywell was involved in an incident involving a driver allegedly taking a left turn whilst on his mobile phone. He submitted video evidence, taken from his head cam, to the Metropolitan Police, but was told that:
“We acknowledge your video and agree that the driver appears to have committed an offence. However, for us to bring a prosecution before a magistrates the video evidence has to be submitted and filmed via an approved device with an audit trail.”