One Small Justice...BBC Article

[Geonz]

I *am* impressed that, basically, the courts found it more important that her actions killed somebody and that, therefore, she should be held responsible. I"d want to know the 'light-running' specifics before even passing judgement on the guy. IT's a self-perpetuating culture, though, since vehicular cycling isn't exactly encouraged *unless* it's to make things easier on drivers.
You're right, I think the "had earlier" meant earlier in the judicial process or they'd have made more of a deal of it, I'm sure.

[Grog]

I also am reluctant to condemn the cyclist. When a cyclist dies in an accident against a car, the cyclist's version is never heard because, well, the cyclist is dead.

(This being said, I KNOW that many cyclists run red lights.)

In any case, I don't know about the UK, but here there's a fault that's called "failure to yield." No matter what sort of light you have in front of you, you should yield to any vehicle or pedestrian already engaged in the intersection, whether they have a right to be there or not. It also applies to bicyclists and pedestrians. It's really scary that a person would not looking ahead while driving through an intersection, no matter at what speed. Lots of tragedies would be avoided if drivers realized that they're carrying 1-2 tons of steel around them, and that they have the responsibility to be aware of their surroundings.