Dangerous cyclists to face same penalties as drivers in the UK

The newly proposed regulations, which will also apply to electric scooters, monowheels, and comparable vehicles, will help protect law-abiding cyclists, pedestrians, and other road users while ensuring justice is served.

“The government has agreed to introduce new laws so cyclists who kill or seriously injure because of dangerous cycling, or who kill through careless cycling, face the same penalties as drivers and motorcyclists who do so,” stated the UK Department for Transport.

The catalyst for discussing the changes was a collision between a speeding cyclist and an 81-year-old woman in London in June 2022, resulting in the death of a pedestrian. According to UK media reports in May, no criminal charges were brought against the cyclist.

Currently, cycling in the UK is governed by laws dating back to the 19th century, originally intended for dealing with horses. Meanwhile, speed limits in the country apply to cars and motorcycles but not to bicycles.

During the discussion of the bill in parliament, deputies cited statistics according to which, in the period from 2018 to 2022, 2,000 pedestrians were injured in collisions involving cyclists in the UK. Of these, nine incidents resulted in deaths, 657 in very serious injuries and 1,292 in bodily injuries.

During the parliamentary debate on the bill, Conservative MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith referred to statistics indicating that between 2018 and 2022, there were 2,000 pedestrian casualties in Great Britain involved in collisions with pedal cycles. Of those, nine were fatal, 657 were very serious injuries and 1,292 were injuries.