UK & World News
- 17 February 2012, 14:24
Bus Driver Jailed For Using Vehicle As 'Weapon'
A bus driver who deliberately crashed his vehicle into a cyclist knocking him off his bike has been jailed for 17 months.
Gavin Hill was shown on CCTV in an exchange with cyclist Phillip Mead before he turned the bus sharply into the cyclist's path.
The 43-year-old cyclist suffered fractures to his left wrist and leg, which needed to be plated, and to his thumb in the incident in Bristol.
The bus driver pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and causing grievous bodily harm at Bristol Crown Court.
Sentencing Hill, Judge Mark Horton said: "This was not an accident, it was an assault... deliberate dangerous driving.
"You used that vehicle as a weapon to bully and intimidate the cyclist who, in the end, was struck by that bus."
Hill was also disqualified from driving for two-and-a-half years and ordered to pass an extended driving test.
City council CCTV footage showed Mr Mead remonstrating with the bus driver before continuing his journey.
Seconds later, Hill, who had been driving for Bugler Coaches for 10 months, overtook the bike before veering sharply left knocking the father-of-two onto the road.
Mr Mead was treated by paramedics at the scene, where Hill was arrested by police on April 5 last year.
Bugler coaches fired Hill after the incident.
what do you think?
Alex Pickard
Surely this is attempted murder!? 17 months is crazy, and surely doing this as a public service driver he should be banned from driving full stop!
David Curtis
Whilst I am not a lawyer, I agree the punishments for this guy and the other thiefs who steal cars and drive very dangerously, are attempting to maim or kill, yet they receive paltry terms if any. K Clarke, wake up man.
peter
Several years ago in York, I was in a line of traffic waiting for the lights to change. Along came a cyclist down the nearside and pushed in the wing mirrors of every vehicle waiting in the queue. When the cyclist got to the lights which were still at red, he just cycled through. Everyone motorist had to get out of their vehicles and adjust their mirrors before they could move on.
DermottJoe
so your point is.....ok to run "them" over?
Mike Drouin
yep bad cycleist are road kill
Russell Clarke
Im not a road cyclist but not all are arrogant idiots . And there are drivers that are a danger like the two idiots I seen racing each other this morning. But that isn't the point the fact he used the bus as a weapon is going a bit to far !!
ggmc5914
so that justifies knocking this guy off his bike by using a bus does it
Russell Clarke
Surely that's gbh with intent !!! And a longer prison sentence
crichey56
why they dont have to take a cbt style cyclist test is beyond me, most are idiots, just yesterday a cyclist came haring it down the bank traffic either side and just cut in right without any warning whatsoever. The motorbike in front of me shook his head in disbelief and i was thinking are you crazy. Unfortuantely this is not a rare occurance i see at least one idiot cyclist every day, causing massive tailbacks because they feel it is their right to be in the centre of the lane EXCEPT when the lights go red which they then feel they can either go straight through or they just mount the path and continue IT IS RIDICULOUS.
ggmc5914
i drive and cycle. i see many more idiot drivers you cannot deny drivers cause more accidents and injuries than cyclists. many cyclists have to ride aggressively otherwise it is dangerous. drivers need to be more cycle aware
Russell Clarke
Theres just as much dangerous drivers on the road I could go in to loads of examples in the past week alone !
richard steele
I'm guessing the bus driver was angered by the cyclist not letting a bus pull out, which is in the highway code, but like all cyclists this guy thought the highway code only applies to motorists. Maybe he thinks twice now, cyclists are a menace.
David Curtis
All kind of folk on the road behave badly, but it does not justify using bus as weapon, the passengers must have been a bit alarmed at the swift left turn, one standing up could have been thrown to ground and badly injured, no excuse for this action at all, and a paltry punishment for attempted murder in my world.
DermottJoe
so if i shoot some one they will take my gun licence off me for 2 1/2 years and let me out of prison after 17 months? a young man at the bottom of my road has just been jailed for 2 years for growing a plant????????????
Roger W. Patrick
As a retired Coach driver after 35 years commercial driving, I can find no excuse for this PCV driver other than utter frustration causing him to lose control of himself. Many Cyclists ignore the difficulties that large vehicle drivers have to contend with, and assume that they have absolute right of way to veer around in front of big vehicles wit impunity,and deliberately pedalling directly in front of the bus to prevent him overtaking as this cyclist obviously was, didn't help the situation. That said there is no excuse for a professional driver to lose his cool to the extent this man did. I have had many a row with inconsiderate cyclists, but no matter how annoyed I got, I had to bite down on the anger and in the last instance BE PROFESSIONAL! The PCV driver got a just sentence.
Micky Lyden
Must not of paied his bus fare the other day
andy may
richard, it does NOT say in the highway code that a bus has the right to pull out in front of any vehicle which then has to take evasive action to avoid a collision. this appears to be how bus drivers interpret it. a lot of the highway code is not law but simply advisory. down on the sussex coast the bus drivers drive very agressively and intentionally stop in awkward places holding up all other traffic. i'm guessing it's down to management policy to minimise delays and maximise profits. this bus driver should have got five years, the idiot.
Sebastian
Its about time we caught up with Holland and had cycle lanes, and safer means of transport in place instead of the govermnt wasteing our money on garbage.
Mark Smith
ya cyclist should under go a test and there bikes should have some sort of mot and insurance then this would filter out some of the tax doggers
Gordon Wright
I'm surprised to see a cyclist on the road....they are normally found on the pavement intimidating pedestrians.............
patricia mcbride
I cycle around my town and quite often feel "bullied" by cars, buses etc However I also see cyclists who ignore signs and lights and dominate the road especially those with all the gear on, who ride 2 abreast on country lanes and cause long tailbacks and consequently wind up the motorists Also see lots of kids especially on school hols who ride on wrong side of road including at blind corners and cycle in the dark with no lights
Gillian Stafford
Cyclists do appear to be exempt from the normal rules of the road and common courtesy would also appear to be an unknown concept to them.However the bus drivers in my area [North Manchester/South Lancashire] have to be the most aggressive , ill mannered, inconsiderate bunch anywhere so in my experience these incidents are usually six of one and half dozen of the other.
andy may
i bet the sussex coast bus drivers will give yours a run for their money!!!!!
Shane Goldsmith
It's funny how people start having a go at cyclists when this article is clearly about a bus driver trying to deliberately injure an innocent cyclist. And some people start to second guess that the cyclist must be in the wrong for this to have happened. As a cyclist and car driver, I may add, I see the good and bad in both. Yes, I agree there are some bad cyclists on the road, but there are a lot more bad drivers. How many of you drivers here taking the high morale ground and having ago at cyclists use your mobile phone whilst driving? How many of you drink and drive? How many of you park your cars in cycle lanes blocking cyclists? I have seen cyclists jump red light and it makes me cringe. I even overtook a cyclist without any lights on his bike and as I went past I told him he should put some lights on his bike. He just told me to mind my own business. Not quite those words! My point is there is good and bad in both. And clearly here, the bus driver was the bad one!
David Sheen
I don't condone the actions of the bus driver but the VAST majority of cyclists do not have any respect for the law and ride like idiots. Having said that, many bus drivers also think they are king of the road. It seems that 'mirror, signal manoevre' does not apply to them - just manoevre and hope someone will give way seems to be the norm
daz89
LOL
andy may
totally agree with you shane, there are good and bad. in defence of cyclists, they are actually having to use effort to get somewhere. many car drivers can't be bothered to use indicators, slow down and then drive AROUND cyclists at a safe distance,stick to one lane on a roundabout. the list goes on. what are they doing behind the wheel that makes these actions so difficult?
JULIE W
While i don't agree with what this bus driver did i can imagine his frustration. Just the other day two kids on bikes whizzed across the road in front of me, this was in town in heavy traffic, it frightened the life out of me as they appeared from nowhere and obviously had no idea of the highway code. Also i have to pay road tax to drive my car on the road, why cyclists think they have more of a right than me to be on it is beyond me. So yes bike lanes are a good idea, but i'm not sure motorists will be happy if they are the ones to pay for it, and cyclists should also have to take a test.
Danny Cooper
7:12am on 17/2/2012
Dont bring a bike to a bus fight!