"I saw this posted on another message board and was outraged:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=398901&in_page_id=1770
the beginning of the article:
Fury as driver who killed four cyclists is fined £180
By LIZ HULL, Daily Mail 20:35pm 3rd August 2006
There was outrage tonight after a motorist who killed four cyclists when his car skidded and ploughed into them on an icy road escaped with just a £180 fine.
Robert Harris, 47, was driving with three bald tyres when he lost control on black ice and smashed into the group who were out on a Sunday morning training ride... "
Driver fined £180 for killing 4 cyclists
Tue, 08/08/2006 - 6:12am
Tue, 08/08/2006 - 6:25am
#1
I saw this somewhere else. If you look you'll see beyond the headline. The fine has nothing to do with the deaths. He was fined for faulty tires, which were not found to have contributed to the ACCIDENT, as any tires would have lost traction on the black ice.
Accidents happen. Black ice is near invisible. You go out on the road, you take your chances. You want to stay safe? Get an exercycle.
Here's where I originally saw it:
http://forums.dailyrotten.com/296/00022230/
Interesting how the non-cycling community sees us.
Tue, 08/08/2006 - 8:37am
#2
you're right, you do take your chances, but the bald tires bit is BS - i spent most of my winters on icy roads in canada, where black ice is common: hitting it doesn't mean you automatically skid out of control. it's possible to get through it if you know how to handle the car in it, and have good tires - and tread on a tire most definitely DOES help in those conditions (however, I'm not saying this would have saved anyone here). tread is not only there for the displacement of water, as the article states. driving defensively in the first place is probably the only thing that would have saved those people. what a shame.
Tue, 08/08/2006 - 9:47am
#3
physics 101
"""tread is not only there for the displacement of water""
Care to explain for what other purposes tyres have tread?"
Tue, 08/08/2006 - 3:25pm
#4
traction in snow and ice
Wed, 08/09/2006 - 6:57am
#5
that's not right
Tires maintain roadholding via friction (or grip) between the rubber & the road surface. Tread only aids dispersion of water between the tire & the road surface that would otherwise reduce grip or cause aquaplaning.
That's why dry weather racing tires do not have tread, wet weather racing tires do have tread and tires designed for use on snow or ice have metal studs in them.
Thu, 08/10/2006 - 5:32am
#6
you can talk to any person that drives regularly in snow and ice, and they will tell you treaded tires have more traction than bald ones - try it some time. and not all winter tires have studs in them, either.
Thu, 08/10/2006 - 10:05am
#7
Snow and ice is the key. Snow and rough surfaced ice give tread something to grip on, but black ice is slick– you need metal studs for it.
Fri, 08/11/2006 - 7:30am
#8
It is certainly possible to drive on ice with studless tires. So long as the tire compound is appropriate, quite good grip can be achieved. The Nokian Hakkapellitta RSi is a good ice tire.
Tue, 08/08/2006 - 10:26am
#9
don't expect sympathy from the public
Ya, interesting article, and the comments are even better. I posted my few sentences -- could not resist.
Wed, 08/09/2006 - 10:05am
#10
It's cheaper in the States
£45 per victim may not sound like much, but sadly, if the same thing had happened here in the U.S., there would probably by no fines at all.
