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Community sentence for driver who claimed car's A-pillar meant he didn't see cyclist he killed

Paul Sims died three weeks after he was hit by Bradley Schofield in Cambridgeshire last April

A driver who claimed that the A-pillar on his car had created a blind spot that meant he did not see a cyclist he killed has been given a community sentence.

Bradley Schofield, from Wisbech in Cambridgeshire, pleaded guilty in June last year to causing death by dangerous driving after he turned out of a junction into the path of cyclist Paul Sims in April last year.

Mr Sims, aged 68 and from Wisbech St Mary, was taken to hospital by air ambulance, but died three weeks later from his injuries, reports the Fenland Citizen.

Schofield claimed to police when interviewed that the A-pillar of his car had created a blind spot and that as a result he failed to see Mr Sims and another cyclist he was riding with.

PC Rochelle Eves, the investigating officer, said: “It’s incredibly sad when we have to attend incidents where drivers have made a mistake resulting in tragedy.

“I would urge people to ensure they pay careful attention when driving, and be particularly aware of vulnerable road users such as cyclists and pedestrians.

“We attend these kinds of incidents far too often and many are completely avoidable.”

In a statement, Mr Sims’ family said: “As a family we feel completely robbed; this has destroyed the heart of our family and life will never be the same.

“The collision may have been an accident, but this accident was brought on by one person in a moment of carelessness, culminating in the death of a much-loved husband, father and grandfather.

“The case has taken nearly two years to conclude, but to us it will never be a closed book. Paul was an exceptionally competitive cyclist, competing all over the country and in Europe.

“We will be organising a sponsored cycle ride, hopefully later this year, in memory of Paul with several charities that helped him and are still supporting our family now. Tomorrow (3) would have been Paul’s 70th birthday.”

Schofield was sentenced today at Peterborough Crown Court to an 18-month community order. And was also told to undertake 250 hours, as well as being  banned from driving for 18 months.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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58 comments

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Dicklexic | 3 years ago
4 likes

The driver was only affected by the A-Pillar because HE FAILED to look around it properly! No matter how big the A-Pillar is, the driver has the responsibility to make sure that the road ahead is clear. If that means moving your head to one side or leaning forward to look properly then so be it. Truly pathetic excuse and an equally pathetic sentence. RIP Mr Sims.

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oceandweller | 3 years ago
5 likes

So the penalty for *killing* someone in real life is only slightly higher than the penalty for simply *cheating* in a virtual race (https://road.cc/content/news/zwift-hands-two-more-bans-riders-falsifying...)?

Wow! You couldn't make it up, could you? I wonder what Franz Kafka would make of it all?

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Cycloid | 3 years ago
1 like

Pitiful sentance and a not very believable excuse for bad driving.

Having said that, understanding blind spots is REALLY important for cyclists safety.

Blind Spots are bigger than you think, there is a phenomenon called windscreen zoning, which says that drivers tend not to make eye fixations near the edge of their windscreen. Blind Spots move with the vehicle. You dont always know when you are in a blind spot, which means there is no defense.

For a sobering picture Google   -    Cyclist Death Ipley Blindspot    -   (for some reason I cannot paste the link, but this pulls up a load of relevent articles on the topic

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Hirsute replied to Cycloid | 3 years ago
1 like
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Cycloid replied to Hirsute | 3 years ago
1 like

Thanks Mate . I think you will agree it's a scary read.

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alansmurphy | 3 years ago
5 likes

To add something slightly new to this, my bike is around 7 feet long (probably, I've never really laid down next to it) and if I'm riding side by side my friend and I are probably taking up at least 6 feet of width.

 

There were two cyclists so did he not see an object at least 14ft by 2 ft or an object 7ft by 6ft? Just how big are those pillars!

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brooksby replied to alansmurphy | 3 years ago
4 likes

And remember - you on your bike (seven feet by two feet) is "taking up the whole road" whereas a single motorist in their car (let's say six feet by fifteen feet, typical SUV) is just the normal state of things... 

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wtjs | 3 years ago
6 likes

250 hours community service?

Are they doing community service during Covid?- or can they just work from home on virtual litter-picking?

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zero_trooper replied to wtjs | 3 years ago
0 likes

Well, they are doing virtual speed awareness courses!

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wtjs | 3 years ago
4 likes

Joke driving ban, community service- usual forgiveness for killing a cyclist. Typical type of excuse which is essentially I don't bother looking for cyclists, and which seems to be generally accepted by the police. I apologise for mentioning this yet again but when I, as a stationary cyclist waiting to exit Sainsbury's onto the main road, was hit by a driver cutting the corner turning into Sainsbury's, the police response was 'it was only a momentary loss of concentration, no further action'. I was lucky and wasn't smashed to pulp by the bike being rammed back into my pelvis- I was just hit on the shoulder by the mirror and got a stiff neck. I spent a lot of time fighting the police standard brush-off, but all I achieved was the joke driving course. Now I get straight onto police dodging, no messing around- you have to hurt the b*******, or they will try everything to avoid action.

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ktache replied to wtjs | 3 years ago
5 likes

Was that a wing or a door mirror?...

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wtjs replied to ktache | 3 years ago
6 likes

Just a mirror. I couldn't be bothered with all that again!

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Christopher TR1 | 3 years ago
4 likes

Another depressingly lenient sentence. Lock em up or string em up and never ever let them drive again!

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STiG911 | 3 years ago
9 likes

Anytime I'm turning right or left, I'm looking out of the side window, not trying to see through the A pillar. What a load of wank.

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zero_trooper | 3 years ago
10 likes

Check this image:

Playing armchair collision investigator here, but the police report says that the car was in Fitton End Road and turned at the junction to join Roman Bank, Leverington.

Doesn't say which way the car turned or direction of travel of the cyclists.

On Google maps I can only find one junction as described above. The view is as the driver will have come up to the junction.

The junction is massive and apparently (I don't know how old the image is) clear of any obstruction. 

WTF! The drive had to blame the A-pillar as there was nothing else to blame! 

He's never seen the cyclists because he's never looked for them. Looked for cars or tractors yes, but not bikes surprise

 

 

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to zero_trooper | 3 years ago
2 likes

Ahem, I posted similar right below you.

If you look in the bottom right corner the image was captured in 2009, so all the saplings on the right could well be trees now. He turned into their path and as the stones on the end and the wearing of the junctions shows, all the vehicles cut across the central line when turning right out of it. The only reason that happens is everyone comes out at speed once they "see" it is clear. If everyone stopped first then there would not be the cutting across we see there. 

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zero_trooper replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 3 years ago
0 likes

Thanks AS, inquisitive minds think alike! 

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mikewood replied to zero_trooper | 3 years ago
3 likes

Unfortunately, the bigger the junction, the bigger the effective blindspot is, if you happen to be in it. I was nearly taken off once and then actually taken off for exactly this reason at the same junction (not this one but it's similar), the sight lines are too good so drivers don't bother looking around the A pillar

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alansmurphy replied to mikewood | 3 years ago
1 like

I'd suggest the bigger the junction the higher the speed the driver is trying to go through it!

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OnYerBike replied to zero_trooper | 3 years ago
2 likes

I don't think it's mentioned in the article, but from the streetview it appears that this is part of the National Cycle Network, which are suppsed to be "safe" routes.

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zero_trooper replied to OnYerBike | 3 years ago
2 likes

NCN 1 - the biggie!

The junction does indeed form part of the network.

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AlsoSomniloquism | 3 years ago
4 likes

Looking at the junction mentioned in the article you can see that (in 2009 at least) anyone turning right out of cuts the corner based on the stones on the road. So I suspect he gave a curosry glance and then without stopping or significantly slowing as it was "clear" just drove straight into the unfortunate cyclist. Multiple bad driving but yes, lets do him on careless as we don't trust in our ability to convince people otherwise. 

 

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zero_trooper replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 3 years ago
2 likes

*convict? people otherwise'

Well that is part of the problem, it's a conviction and a win for the CPS and their success rates. 
Maybe just not an appropriate conviction.

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peted76 | 3 years ago
9 likes

Another joke justice sentence for taking a life. 

How will the population as a whole ever change their vehicle behaviours if the worst that would likely happen is an 18month driving ban. Eighteen months of not driving is shameful, it is not justice served for the deceased cyclists family.

The only way this will change is when the law agrees that owing a driving licence is not a 'right' but a privilege. 

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NPlus1Bikelights | 3 years ago
6 likes

A-pillars are the new blinded by the sun. If this had been a pedestrian would the sentence have been the same?

 

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zero_trooper replied to NPlus1Bikelights | 3 years ago
2 likes

I was thinking about this. If it had been another car, what would have been the outcome? 

I didn't see the car

 I didn't see the bikes

 I didn't see the pedestrian

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PRSboy replied to NPlus1Bikelights | 3 years ago
6 likes

I do find the 'sun was in my eyes' reasoning strange.  Supposing the driver's lights suddenly failed at night, would they keep going and hope for the best?  Probably not.

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Mybike | 3 years ago
2 likes

. Should of told the courts it was his windsheild that blocked his view that way he wouldn't have community sentence. Crazy it like the judges never had children who rode a bike. And they never rode one themselves

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Mungecrundle | 3 years ago
8 likes

Many years ago I owned a Bedford CF van. Like all panel vans I suspect, visibility to the left and rear is severely compromised. Junctions, especially those at an angle could be really difficult to get a proper view. My solution, I added another mirror.

It seems to me that mitigating a thick 'A' pillar is somewhat simpler.

1. Move your head to look around the obstruction.

2. Unless you are absolutely sure you have seen what is there to be seen. STOP!

Beyond collecting statistics to help improve legislation around driver training or for vehicle design standards, using the 'A' pillar defence as an excuse when you have killed someone due to not making the slightest effort to look properly should be ignored for the purposes of sentencing.

From the potential victim's side, the old adage about making eye contact with the driver of a vehicle which may potentially come into your path, especially those waiting at junctions is very relevant.

 

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OldRidgeback | 3 years ago
7 likes

My Ford Focus has poor view to the rear wings, a fact of which (as a cyclist and motorcyclist) I'm highly aware. Some years ago I rented a classic Porsche 911 from the late 70s and was amazed at the really good all-round view from the driver's seat. Modern cars have improved in terms of occupant protection, but the downside is that visibility can be poor for the driver. A good driver should be aware of this and use extra caution for certain manoeuvres as a result. 

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