Driver awareness course for motorist who knocked Bradley Wiggins off his bike

But if the driver awareness course costs £130 that is more than the fine of £35 for killing someone as reported recently. Person also has to have a day off work to attend course.

Is it right? Is it enough? Very difficult to say.

85mph on a deserted motorway at 3am in the morning = 2 points and an £80 fine. T-bone another road user = driver awareness course? Come on! There's something wrong with this picture! Mad as hell, as the saying goes.

Sorry, I should have been clearer. I was injured. The policeman didn't even ask. In fact the policeman who I flagged down at the scene could only offer the afvice that I get his number plate and then ask tje driver for a lift home.

Gregjones had a damage to property only crash it seems. Generally if it is minor damage, the insurers will sort things out and the Police can get on with the crashes where people get hurt. For minor crashes and civil claims it really does help to be a CTC or BC member, and get their legal assistance engaged on your claim.

I wonder if this outcome was published on the front page of the newspapers?? Probably not.

On the recent occasion I was hit by a driver who wasn't looking, who did stop and admitted fault, I visited the police station and stated what had happened. The policeman told me that it was an insurence matter and nothing to do with the police, this sort of action by the police was only due to the victims fame.

So what next beat somebody up when your drunk and get an anger management course? This crap is part of the reason nobody in this country has any respect for the law or the police.

The problem is that an awful lot of drivers lack awareness of how to drive safely around cyclists. This should be a much more important part of driving instruction and testing. Waiting for a dangerous driver to hit a cyclist before they are required to learn how to drive safely is not acceptable.

I was hit by a car on a roundabout the day after Wiggin's incident, and suffered a broken ankle which I'm not yet fully recovered from. It was after dark, but I was wearing a reflective jacket and had decent lights. I was already on the roundabout, the driver didn't see me and drove straight into me. He stopped, police and ambulance were called and he admitted responsibility. I had a letter through from the police saying that in only around 10% of cases is there sufficient evidence for court purposes to take further action. I then had a follow up to say they were satisfied that there was sufficient evidence of it being his fault to take it further, and that he was being given the option of attending a one-day "driver alertness course" at his expense (£130) and would have to complete a practical assessment at the end of it. The letter made the point that there is no provision in law for a magistrate to send him for retraining, and that a fine and points isn't going to do anything to correct poor driving habits.

I've got mixed feelings about it. While it does seem wrong that he's caused me a fairly serious injury and got nothing on his licence for it, I take the point about retraining being a more effective way of preventing him from doing it again than simple financial punishment / points. He did seem genuinely upset and shaken by the incident, and I am left feeling that the course is probably the best way to stop him doing the same or worse to someone else in the future.

He will also, apparently, be sent a warning that if he is involved in a similar incident within three years then he will be prosecuted.

I'd be pleased as punch if this was adopted as common practice, however we all know full well that the police of only bothered because of the fame of the person involved and have no doubt swept plenty of other bike related incidents under the carpet since this has happened.

So you hospitalise someone by careless driving and giving them an awareness course is the correct course of action?!

Totally disagree. Wrong message to drivers being given here, yet another example of cyclist welfare not being taken seriously.

If it had been a pedestrian, etc etc

I can see that Lancashire Constabulary were in a tough spot here.

On balance this is probably the correct result given the circumstances and an approach the Police should be more willing to take even when the cyclist involved isn't a Tour de France winner. From experience it is a struggle to get the Police to take an interest never mind take action.