Cyclists who kill pedestrians acting dangerously along the way could face life imprisonment under a change proposed to the law.
Currently, cycling criminals can be imprisoned for no more than two years under a law of 1861 originally destined for horses thrown out by horses.
A government The amendment to the Project of Crimes and Vigilantes, which is currently going through Parliament, would see that cycling offensions would be aligned with driving crimes, said the Department of Transportation (DFT).
The changes would also mean serious injuries qualified by dangerous cycling, or death due to neglected or inconsiderate cycling, could incur five years in jail, fines or both.
A serious injury falls due to careless or insufficient cycling would result in a two -year sentence, a fine or both under the proposed changes.
The government estimates that of 1,600 deaths on the United Kingdom roads last year, four were falling by cyclists.
A DFT spokesman said that updating the legislation of more than 160 years “would ensure that the small minority that registers others facing others face all the force of the law.”
They added: “Dangerous cycling is completely unacceptable, and the security of our roads is a key priority for this government.”
The amendment to the crime and police bill, which is currently in the committee stage, will be debated by Parliament in the “due course,” said the spokesman.
According to the previous government, the conservative deputy Sir Iain Duncan Smith campaigned to amend another bill, the draft Law of Criminal Justice, to hold cyclists for the reckless behavior.
Matthew Briggs’s campaign, whose wife, Kim, died from head injuries after a collision with a cyclist in 2016.
Charlie Alliston, who was traveling on a fixed bicycle without front brakes, was released from male laughter and declared guilty of causing bodily damage due to “meaningless or furious driving.”
Briggs told BBC Radio 4 today at that time that he wanted to “try to prevent another family from having to go through what we have had to happen.”
His campaign welcomed Friday’s news, writing in X: “After nine years of campaign and some false beginnings, it seems that we could finally be there!”
A government source close to the Secretary of Transportation, Heidi Alexander, told the BBC to change the law “at the first opportunity” was “definitely personal” for her, since she was the deputy of Mr. Briggs when her wife was killed.
They said: “While this is an important victory for these families, 1,600 people died on our roads last year and only four caused by cyclists.
“We need to address that too and we will present a road safety strategy before the end of the year.”
