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Coventry motorist who killed teenage cyclist was driving at motorway speeds in 40mph zone

“If Rai had been driving at 40mph, I believe he would have been able to slow down in time to see Ryan”

The family of a teenage cyclist who was killed by a speeding driver in Coventry have appealed for motorists to drive within the speed limit. Police investigators said that Tajinder Rai was doing a minimum of 67mph in a 40mph zone when he hit 17-year-old Ryan Willoughby-Oakes.

The Coventry Telegraph reports that Rai was driving a Nissan GT-R along Binley Road in Coventry, on October 5, 2018 when he hit Willoughby-Oakes at the junction with Allard Way.

Rai stopped while passers-by administered first aid, but the teenager was pronounced dead at the scene.

Rai denied causing death by dangerous driving but was found guilty.

He was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in jail and banned from driving for seven years and nine months.

Following sentencing Willoughby-Oakes’ family said: “We would ask everyone to think about their driving; to slow down, to realise that you are driving a lethal machine if you drive in this dangerous manner.

“Please drive within the speed limit, think about the environment you are driving in, expect the unexpected.

“We beg you to please remember our beautiful Ryan Joseph Willoughby-Oakes’ face and realise that your actions on the road have consequences.”

Detective Sergeant Paul Hughes, from West Midlands Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “A teenager who had his whole life ahead of him tragically lost his life due to a motorist not following the speed limit.

“There is no excuse to be travelling at nearly 70mph in a 40mph zone; this shows the importance of obeying speed limits and if Rai had been driving at 40mph, I believe he would have been able to slow down in time to see Ryan.

“Although nothing will bring Ryan back, we hope his family find some comfort in this outcome.”

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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18 comments

Avatar
markysd | 4 years ago
6 likes

Still to this day, tributes to the young lad killed lay at this junction just as they do just up the road for 2 young children killed by a speeding drug driver earlier last year. A poignant reminder of the, seemingly generally accepted, human cost of our car obsessed society. 
Although these locations have seen a subsequent speed limit reduction and substantial road modification respectively, both welcome steps, this does not address the attitudes of some drivers that cause these tragedies. Attitudes that often aren't addressed until someone dies. Even then not always adequately. Yet people get angry because cyclists are a 'menace'! 

Avatar
grumpyoldcyclist | 4 years ago
5 likes

I found it amazing they had the gall to deny that they were driving dangerously. 

RIP Ryan

Avatar
ktache | 4 years ago
2 likes

But Russian interference in our democratic process is always objectionable...

Me, I don't have much of a problem with Russia intefering in another countries election, we've been doing it, not so much as the Americans have done, not forgetting the overthrow of legitiamtely elected governments, often with huge violence and bloodshed.  It would seem to be something that "truely" democratic countries, guided by the force of law, routinely did.

Avatar
danhopgood | 4 years ago
7 likes

Keep it up Burt, I'm with you.

Avatar
Rick_Rude | 4 years ago
5 likes

Fucking hell can this guy shoehorn the sour taste of politics into any topic.

Brakes failed on a descent. Tories.
Exposed carbon on frame. Brexit.
Helmets proven to work. Racist Tory propaganda.

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to Rick_Rude | 4 years ago
11 likes

Rick_Rude wrote:

Fucking hell can this guy shoehorn the sour taste of politics into any topic. Brakes failed on a descent. Tories. Exposed carbon on frame. Brexit. Helmets proven to work. Racist Tory propaganda.

To be fair to Burt, the Tories did announce a complete review of road traffic safety and sentencing back in (IIRC) 2014, so the politics is at least a bit relevant. Otherwise I would agree that he's banging the drum a bit too hard.

Avatar
burtthebike replied to Rick_Rude | 4 years ago
6 likes

Rick_Rude wrote:

Fucking hell can this guy shoehorn the sour taste of politics into any topic. Brakes failed on a descent. Tories. Exposed carbon on frame. Brexit. Helmets proven to work. Racist Tory propaganda.

At least my post had some facts.

Avatar
Luca Patrono replied to Rick_Rude | 4 years ago
7 likes
Rick_Rude wrote:

Fucking hell can this guy shoehorn the sour taste of politics into any topic.

Brakes failed on a descent. Tories.
Exposed carbon on frame. Brexit.
Helmets proven to work. Racist Tory propaganda.

Every.
Single.
Case.

When a driver gets off with a punishment vastly below what the crime deserves.

Is the result of politics.

It's at least a little more specific than us posting that we're all outraged like we impotently do every time another cager bastard takes a life by knowingly breaking the law.

Avatar
Hirsute replied to Luca Patrono | 4 years ago
0 likes

Luca Patrono wrote:
Rick_Rude wrote:

Fucking hell can this guy shoehorn the sour taste of politics into any topic. Brakes failed on a descent. Tories. Exposed carbon on frame. Brexit. Helmets proven to work. Racist Tory propaganda.

Every. Single. Case. When a driver gets off with a punishment vastly below what the crime deserves. Is the result of politics. It's at least a little more specific than us posting that we're all outraged like we impotently do every time another cager bastard takes a life by knowingly breaking the law.

Perahps it was the Russian interference that was found objectionable.

Avatar
Luca Patrono replied to Hirsute | 4 years ago
2 likes
hirsute wrote:

Perahps it was the Russian interference that was found objectionable.

Perhaps. But the response didn't give me that impression. It reads to me as criticizing Burt for apparently finding a way to blame every cycling-related ill on the Conservative party's policies.

Avatar
burtthebike replied to Rick_Rude | 4 years ago
5 likes

Rick_Rude wrote:

Fucking hell can this guy shoehorn the sour taste of politics into any topic. Brakes failed on a descent. Tories. Exposed carbon on frame. Brexit. Helmets proven to work. Racist Tory propaganda.

Thought you'd enjoy this Rick

 

Avatar
Daveyraveygravey replied to Rick_Rude | 4 years ago
5 likes
Rick_Rude wrote:

Fucking hell can this guy shoehorn the sour taste of politics into any topic.

Brakes failed on a descent. Tories.
Exposed carbon on frame. Brexit.
Helmets proven to work. Racist Tory propaganda.

Um, I think you've missed the mark here. Most of us cyclists feel the system is "gentle" on those whose bad driving causes injury and death to those of us with the ability to get around without a bloody great tank. So, if the newly elected government actually made an effort to improve enforcement and sentencing and attitudes to people using the roads not in cars, surely that would be a good thing?

Avatar
Hirsute | 4 years ago
6 likes

Should be banned for life.

Avatar
burtthebike replied to Hirsute | 4 years ago
12 likes

hirsute wrote:

Should be banned for life.

I'm sure the new "people's government" will include serious driving crime in their new policy of giving serious criminals heavier sentences.  Of course they will.  Definitely.  Almost certainly.  No, they won't.

Still haven't had a reply from my MP about releasing the report into Russian interference in our elections; I wonder why not?

Avatar
CyclingInBeastMode replied to burtthebike | 4 years ago
1 like

burtthebike wrote:

hirsute wrote:

Should be banned for life.

I'm sure the new "people's government" will include serious driving crime in their new policy of giving serious criminals heavier sentences.  Of course they will.  Definitely.  Almost certainly.  No, they won't.

Still haven't had a reply from my MP about releasing the report into Russian interference in our elections; I wonder why not?

What was the sentencing under labour in the 40s/50s/60s/70s and 90s/00s?

You keep ranting yet under Labour there's no difference in terms of protection, if you didn't already know judges are not politically aligned when they hand out non existent or insufficient sentencing, the tarifs are there, judges won't and never have handed out sentences that send a message to motorists. What about jurors, are they all Tory wankers as well, no, jurors from both sides are blind fools who see no wrong, in fact, and with all due respect, the working classes are less likely to grasp the complexities of cases, that's simply fact and written about at length if you wish to bother reading about it! 

Avatar
burtthebike replied to CyclingInBeastMode | 4 years ago
3 likes

CyclingInBeastMode wrote:

burtthebike wrote:

hirsute wrote:

Should be banned for life.

I'm sure the new "people's government" will include serious driving crime in their new policy of giving serious criminals heavier sentences.  Of course they will.  Definitely.  Almost certainly.  No, they won't.

Still haven't had a reply from my MP about releasing the report into Russian interference in our elections; I wonder why not?

What was the sentencing under labour in the 40s/50s/60s/70s and 90s/00s?

You keep ranting yet under Labour there's no difference in terms of protection, if you didn't already know judges are not politically aligned when they hand out non existent or insufficient sentencing, the tarifs are there, judges won't and never have handed out sentences that send a message to motorists. What about jurors, are they all Tory wankers as well, no, jurors from both sides are blind fools who see no wrong, in fact, and with all due respect, the working classes are less likely to grasp the complexities of cases, that's simply fact and written about at length if you wish to bother reading about it! 

Wow!  You might want to put more water with whatever you're drinking.

Avatar
ficklewhippet replied to CyclingInBeastMode | 4 years ago
5 likes
CyclingInBeastMode wrote:

burtthebike wrote:

hirsute wrote:

Should be banned for life.

I'm sure the new "people's government" will include serious driving crime in their new policy of giving serious criminals heavier sentences.  Of course they will.  Definitely.  Almost certainly.  No, they won't.

Still haven't had a reply from my MP about releasing the report into Russian interference in our elections; I wonder why not?

What was the sentencing under labour in the 40s/50s/60s/70s and 90s/00s?

You keep ranting yet under Labour there's no difference in terms of protection, if you didn't already know judges are not politically aligned when they hand out non existent or insufficient sentencing, the tarifs are there, judges won't and never have handed out sentences that send a message to motorists. What about jurors, are they all Tory wankers as well, no, jurors from both sides are blind fools who see no wrong, in fact, and with all due respect, the working classes are less likely to grasp the complexities of cases, that's simply fact and written about at length if you wish to bother reading about it! 

The point is that appropriate changes in the law could have been made in the subsequent (predominantly Tory) governments, but haven't. Think about where legislation stood on homosexuality back in the 50s compared to now. Why can one part of the system change yet another stand still? The courts can only sentence within the framework.

Avatar
2Loose replied to CyclingInBeastMode | 4 years ago
6 likes

The fact that the Tories said they would work on changes years ago to great fanfare, but have done nothing at all in 5 years is the issue.

CyclingInBeastMode wrote:

burtthebike wrote:

hirsute wrote:

Should be banned for life.

I'm sure the new "people's government" will include serious driving crime in their new policy of giving serious criminals heavier sentences.  Of course they will.  Definitely.  Almost certainly.  No, they won't.

Still haven't had a reply from my MP about releasing the report into Russian interference in our elections; I wonder why not?

What was the sentencing under labour in the 40s/50s/60s/70s and 90s/00s?

You keep ranting yet under Labour there's no difference in terms of protection, if you didn't already know judges are not politically aligned when they hand out non existent or insufficient sentencing, the tarifs are there, judges won't and never have handed out sentences that send a message to motorists. What about jurors, are they all Tory wankers as well, no, jurors from both sides are blind fools who see no wrong, in fact, and with all due respect, the working classes are less likely to grasp the complexities of cases, that's simply fact and written about at length if you wish to bother reading about it! 

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