An elderly driver whose eyesight was not good enough to be on the road has been banned from driving for five years, ordered to pay £2,000 and sentenced to a suspended five-month prison sentence having pleaded guilty to causing the death by careless driving of a cyclist.
Glyn Straw (seen in the picture illustrating this story) was cycling home from a Sitwell Cycling Club ride on 4 September 2022 when he was hit and killed by James Wardle, 83, the motorist having failed to see him on Pleasley Road in Rotherham, colliding with him and causing the 54-year-old to go over the roof of the car.
South Yorkshire Police said witnesses stopped and called 999 but Mr Straw died at the scene. When officers arrived, Wardle failed a roadside eyesight test and was unable to read a number plate at a distance of 20 metres.
It was later discovered that he had degenerative eyesight problems that had played a part in the collision, a medical issue that was undiagnosed prior to Mr Straw's death.
The cyclist had been socialising with fellow members of his cycling club at a local pub before leaving to ride home towards Aston at around 1pm. Wardle and his wife had been driving back from Rotherham Hospital in the same direction when the motorist struck the cyclist from behind having failed to spot him in the road.
Last week he appeared before Sheffield Magistrates' Court, having pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving, where he was sentenced to five months in prison suspended for 18 months and given a five-year driving ban. Wardle was also ordered to pay £2,000 and will have to take an extended driving test following his disqualification, if he wishes to drive again.
In a statement, Mr Straw's family said he was "a much-loved husband, father, son, brother and friend to many, tragically taken in avoidable circumstances whilst out on a bike ride, something he really enjoyed doing and was highly proficient at".
Serious Collisions Sergeant John Taylor added: "My thoughts are today with Glyn's family who are continuing to grieve their loss. Cyclists are one of the most vulnerable road users, and this case demonstrates how we must all take responsibility to create safer roads.
"Glyn was a keen cyclist; it was his hobby and passion. He knew how to stay safe and rode in a sensible manner, he may still be alive today if Wardle had made different decisions."
Wardle was sentenced in Sheffield on the same day that another motorist, Gillian Dungworth, also received a suspended prison sentence and a five-year driving ban. Dungworth hit and killed cyclist Adrian Lane at a notoriously dangerous junction where safe cycling campaigners later held a 'die-in' protest, the judge describing her actions as "a few seconds of bad, bad driving" before sentencing her to a suspended sentence.