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MP fined for running over major on bicycle
Rashid Razaq4 Feb 2009
A CONSERVATIVE MP has been fined £400 for careless driving which knocked an Army major off his bike and broke his neck.
Simon Burns, a Tory whip and MP for West Chelmsford, was leaving the Houses of Parliament in his Land Rover when he collided with Major Stuart Lane last April.
Major Lane was sent tumbling over his handlebars, smashing his head on the front of the 56-year-old's 4x4 and breaking two of his vertebrae. Westminster magistrates' court heard yesterday that Burns, a former shadow health minister, pulled out with insufficient care. The Oxford-educated MP, who is divorced and has a son and a daughter, pleaded guilty and, as well as the fine, had to pay £200 court costs and got four penalty points
Judge Timothy Workman said: "[Burns] should not have moved forward at the time the view was obscured."
Reader views (7)
MPs are elected to work for the good of the people of this country. She not only failed that task but more so failed one of those who voted her in to her consituancy. She ought to remember her position and that is to help all in this country not just herself to our taxes to increase her allowances.
- Terry White, Tweedmouth, 04/02/2009 23:13
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And exactly why does this muppet MP need a 4x4 to drive to the House of Commons? Have they moved it to the top of one of those Essex mountains they're using for MTBing in the 2012 Olympics? Or is he just another one of these "style over content" thinkers, who have little or no concern for any other road users, the environment, or the future?
Oh...he's a tory MP you say? Silly me. I don't know why I bothered ranting.
- Steve, Wales, 04/02/2009 14:22
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Austen - if you actually read the article you would see that he was given 4 penalty points. The magistrates can only hand down penalties based upon the rules and the guidance given by Court clerks. Perhaps the better approach would be to have additional driving infringements that differentiate between basic poor driving, and poor driving that results in injuries to innocent third parties, as was the case here. The options of careless or reckless driving are clearly not adequate.
- Idontbelieveit, London, UK, 04/02/2009 13:53
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Unlike his victim, Burns got off very lightly - his fine will, in effect, be paid by us taxpayers. He should have been given a few penalty points - that or a ban.
- Austen, London, 04/02/2009 12:08
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Why was he only fined £400, and not even put behind bars for a short stint?
Can we really blame young peoples attitudes to breaking the law, when they see people like this getting away with things?
- P I Staker, London, SW8, 04/02/2009 12:06
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What a joke. The cyclist, who has served his country, was doing nothing wrong and has been crippled by a motorist politician. The symbolism of a member of the legislature getting away with this - given that it has crafted our pathetic laws and penalties for motoring offences - is rich.
You could accumulate a greater financial and licence penalty just through speeding at 85mph on a motorway. The ubiquity of the latter offence and the equivalence with this sentence illustrates how magistrates - as well as police, legislators, and many motorists - regard destroying someone's life in the manic rush to save a few seconds is an entirely justifiable price to pay for "keeping Britain moving".
- Reg, London, 04/02/2009 11:09
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My sympathy to the victim. Reminds me of a time many years ago when I was pushed off my bike by A PEDESTRIAN who walked in to the road with loads of moving traffic. Pedestrians can be just as bad. Yes, I did end up in hospital.
- Tony Islander, Herts, 04/02/2009 10:41
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