YOUR article on motorists using mobile phones included a picture of a cyclist using one. Why is this?
There is no specific law against doing so. Cyclists were deliberately not included in the recent law changes. Why? It's because they are not presenting a danger to others.
The law in this country is based on a fundamental tenet of protecting people from the actions of others. It was never designed to protect us from ourselves unless we are vulnerable or incapable.
It has been hijacked in recent years by the war on drugs, the war on terror and more disturbingly by the UK road safety lobby.
Cyclists are not a significant danger to anyone any more than we can say runners or shopping trolleys are. There can be the odd very serious random accident but they're not fundamentally a source of danger. Yet they are included by police as a source of danger?
The danger comes from the mis-management and poor engineering of our road systems. The danger comes from letting cyclists mix with 30+mph traffic at heavily used junctions. The danger comes from motor vehicles.
MIKE CHALKLEY
Cowper Road, Bournemouth
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