Wanton & Furious Cycling Charge Dropped - It's GBH instead

That particular crossing is at the bottom of a chine (NB: a chine is a steep-sided river valley where the river flows to the sea) and the road curves sharply on one side of the crossing.

The cyclist could easily have been doing 30mph as he approached the crossing, probably hoping to maximise his speed to carry him back up the hill on the other side. The story doesn't say in which direction he was travelling but if he was going from east to west then, because of the sharp curve of the road, he might have been concentrating more on steering his bike than observing the crossing ahead. It may be that when he got to the crossing he wasn't expecting a pedestrian and lost control of his bike.

The fact that he was probably just going too fast for the conditions doesn't excuse him but, knowing that road well, I can understand how it could have happened. Cyclists probably go 'too fast' through that crossing multiple times per day because of the temptation to maintain speed for the hill ahead. Obviously leaving the scene after the collision is absolutely inexcusable.

The man sounds like an utter dick - not slowing or stopping for a crossing, and not stopping after hitting a young girl. He deserves everything he gets.

But.

Had it been a car... what's the highest penalty the driver would have faced, do we think? Dangerous driving, yes. Possibility of a jail term? Fine? Points on license? I'd be interested in seeing a similar case involving a car running a child down on a crossing.