Taxi Driver Online

These stickers could be about to appear inside every taxi in Leicester

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news ... ry-1607631

The family of a cyclist killed when he was knocked off his bike by a taxi door want to get safety stickers of his face in every cab in Leicester.

The Sam Says campaign is being launched in memory of Sam Boulton, a 26-year-old teacher, who died after he was ‘car-doored’ and knocked into the path of a drink driver on London Road outside Leicester station.

Sam’s dad Jeff says the Boulton family have been looking for a way to try to educate drivers and passengers since his tragic death in July 2016.

They have produced stickers with Sam’s face and the message’ Stop! Before you open the car door check for cyclists’ to go inside vehicles.



Jeff said: “Every time I’ve been in a taxi since Sam was killed I have thought about what happened and how it could be prevented.

“The only stickers you see are ‘no smoking’ and I thought this could just be a simple way to educate and remind people.

“Losing Sam has been heart-breaking for the whole family, but the fact that his death was due to entirely avoidable behaviour is particularly painful.

"People need to be aware of the life-threatening dangers of opening their car doors onto the road without carefully checking for cyclists first.

"The ‘Sam Says’ campaign will serve as a reminder of the dangers and potential human cost of car-dooring and the simple techniques that we can all learn to prevent it from happening.

“Ultimately, we’d like to see these in taxis, fleet vehicles and family cars across the city as a reminder to drivers and passengers to take care when opening their doors.

“It’s a gentle way of urging people to change their habits until the Government decides to make this a formal part of driver training.”

The Boulton family will be launching the ‘Sam Says’ campaign at the Leicester Critical Mass ride at 6pm tonight.

Two large taxi firms – Swift Fox Cabs and ADT Taxis– have already pledged support to the Sam Says campaign and will be displaying campaign stickers in their cabs over the coming weeks.

Swift Fox Cabs director Tracey Whitehead said: “The ‘Sam Says’ campaign has our full support.

"With the number of cyclists on the road increasing each year, it’s vital that car-dooring is highlighted as a serious danger.

“The Sam Says stickers will be displayed in all our cars and we hope that further tragedies are prevented thanks to this powerful campaign.”

Managing director of ADT Taxis David Hunter said: “ADT Taxis are pleased to supporting the campaign to create awareness of car-dooring.

"We are delighted to join our friends at Swift Fox Cabs as members of the local taxi trade, to spread the word amongst not just our drivers and customers, but to the community at large.”

The Sam Says campaign has also received support from national charity Cycling UK, which believes the current offence of ‘car-dooring’ which can have serious and life changing consequences, is trivialised as a minor offence.

It currently carries a maximum fine of £1,000.

Leicester City Council also supports the campaign.

Deputy city mayor councillor Adam Clarke said: “Sam’s tragic death has shone a light on the vulnerability of cyclists.

“While infrastructure like the segregated cycle lanes soon to be introduced on London Road will provide a safer environment, the Sam Says campaign will be an important initiative helping to remind people to take the greatest possible care when leaving a vehicle.”


Another piece on the law and specifics of the incident from earlier this year:

Alert on 'dooring' to cut deaths - but is it against the law?

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news ... st-1029673

A charity wants more motorists to be aware of the incidents which have had fatal consequences

A call for more awareness of 'dooring' has been made by a charity - highlighting that road users are dying or suffering injuries as a result of the incidents.

A cycling charity is concerns over statistics which show that dooring is responsible for 700 injuries and two deaths each year.

The latest government figures reveals that between 2011 and 2015, eight people died and 3,108 were injured as a result of this.

One of the most high-profile cases was the death of cyclist Sam Boulton outside Leicester Railway Station in 2016.

But many people are still not aware what dooring is - and why it is so dangerous to road users. But as more and more vehicles clog our roads, there is a fear that the instances could increase.

The transport charity Cycling UK has recently launched a campaign to raise awareness of car dooring.

Dooring is a collision where the occupant of a car opens the door into another road user, typically a cyclist.

It is described by Cycling UK as a ‘vehicle door opened or closed negligently.’ The incidents often occur where the occupant has opened the car door without looking for other road users, reports the Bristol Post .

Cycling UK chief executive, Paul Tuohy, said: “Some people seem to see car dooring as a bit of a joke, but it’s not and can have serious consequences.

“Cycling UK wants to see great awareness made about the dangers of opening your car door negligently, and people to be encouraged to look before they open.”

The charity says 2,009 of the 3,000 injuries were sustained by cyclists, resulting in five fatalities but says this might not be the full extent of the danger.

Cycling UK says not all car dooring incidents will be attended by police, so the charity has written to transport minister Jesse Norman calling for a public awareness campaign urging all car occupants, not just drivers, to look before opening vehicle doors.

One of the ways the charity suggests could prevent injuries through dooring is the ‘Dutch reach’, where people leaving a vehicle reach over and use the non-door side hand to open the door.

Cycling UK also suggests harsher laws and advice on safer road positioning for people who cycle.

Mr Tuohy said: “In the Netherlands they are known for practicing a method, known sometimes as the ‘Dutch reach', which we think could be successfully encouraged in the UK.

“Cycling UK has written to the Department for Transport asking them to look into this, and highlight the dangers of ‘car dooring’ through a public awareness THINK style campaign.”

Sam Boulton, a 26-year-old teacher, was killed after being knocked off his bike in July 2016 by a passenger getting out of a taxi by the station, causing him to fall into the path of a van.

Van driver Nigel Ingram was given a suspended prison sentence for his part in the incident that caused Sam’s death.

The 50-year-old was nearly three times over the drink-drive limit at the time of the accident.

A court heard that although Ingram had not drunk alcohol in the hours before the incident, he had drunk heavily the previous evening.

The court was told that if Ingram had not been over the limit, it would not have made any difference. The collision would still have happened.

Mandy Chapple, the taxi passenger who opened the door, knocking Mr Boulton off his bike, was fined £80 for her part in the tragedy.

The 56-year-old pleaded guilty to opening a vehicle door so as to injure or endanger another person, known as car-dooring.

Taxi driver Farook Bhikhu was found guilty of permitting a passenger to open a vehicle so as to injure or endanger a person.

He was ordered to pay a £300 fine, £635 prosecution costs and a £30 victim surcharge.

Of course, worth recalling that the cyclist had gone through two red lights prior to the collision, and wasn't wearing a helmet.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=31308

And a reminder of the penalty received by the cab driver, who was predictably condemned by the cycling lobby, but equally predictably was more sympathetically treated on here:

Taxi driver in cyclist car-dooring death case has conviction appeal rejected

http://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/lates ... wApj0Q8.99

Farook Yusuf Bhikhu has appeal rejected against conviction of car-dooring after death of cyclist Sam Boulton in Leicester in 2016

A taxi driver who allowed his passenger to open her car door into the path of cyclist Sam Boulton, causing his death, has had his appeal against a conviction of ‘car-dooring’ rejected.

On July 27 2016, Farook Yusuf Bhikhu let his passenger, Mandy Chapple, open her car door into Boulton as he was cycling along the road outside Leicester train station, knocking him into the path of a van. Bhikhu’s taxi was parked on double yellow lines.

Local school teacher Boulton sustained severe injuries and died later that day in hospital.

Bhikhu was originally handed a £955 fine by Loughborough Magistrates Court in June, but appealed against the conviction. Leicester Crown Court Court rejected his appeal on Thursday, and added further costs of £300.

Chapple previously pleaded guilty to car-dooring and was fined £150.

Sam Boulton’s father Jeff welcomed the court’s rejection of Bhikhu’s appeal, saying: “I’m relieved to hear the court uphold the decision from June earlier this year. In July 2016 our family received a lifelong sentence, because Bhikhu parked irresponsibly to save a couple of minutes and took no responsibility for his passenger’s actions.

“Despite Bhikhu’s major role in the events leading to the death of my son, his refusal to see how his action resulted in the death of a wonderful and talented young man, is almost as upsetting as the way the law trivialises car-dooring.”

National cycling charity Cycling UK is pressing the government to introduce a new offence of causing serious injury or death by car dooring. It is asking for higher penalties to be imposed on those convicted. Currently car-dooring carries a maximum fine of £1000.

“This tragic case should act as a reminder for all drivers about their responsibility to ensure passengers do not cause injury or death when exiting a vehicle,” said Duncan Dollimore, Cycling UK’s head of advocacy and campaigns.

“Sam’s needless death also highlights the need for urgent action from the government to change the law on car-dooring offences. A maximum £1,000 fine is inadequate for entirely avoidable behaviour which can kill.

“This is why Cycling UK and the families of those affected by dooring have asked Government to introduce a new offence of causing or permitting serious injury or death by car dooring, with tougher penalties.

It'll never change people CANNOT and WILL not accept liability for their own actions or those of their kith and kin and instead insist on campaigns like this to push the blame elsewhere to ensure their loved one is remembered as a martyr not a risk taker that took one risk too many

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