Man whose spouse was killed by bicycle owner says he’ll preserve pushing for regulation

A man whose wife was killed by a reckless cyclist has said he won’t stop putting pressure on the Tories and Labour for a law change that could see people who cause ‘death by dangerous cycling’ jailed for life. 

Plans to create three new offences for dangerous cyclists were lost in Parliament’s ‘wash-up’ last week after Rishi Sunak called a general election for July 4. 

Matt Briggs’s wife Kim, 44, was knocked down by a teen rider on an illegal bike in east London in 2016 as she crossed the road on her lunch break.

A current loophole in the law, however, means that cyclists who kill someone while riding dangerously can only be jailed for a maximum of two years for ‘wanton or furious driving’. 

Since his wife’s death, Mr Briggs has campaigned for the new offences of ‘causing death by dangerous cycling’, ‘causing serious injury by dangerous cycling’ and ‘causing death by careless or inconsiderate cycling’ to be created. 

He told MailOnline: ‘The proposed law went through the Commons unanimously on May 15 but unfortunately once the election was suddenly called last week, it didn’t make it through in the ‘wash-up’.

‘We won all the arguments but sadly we lost out to the election – that’s democracy.

‘But now both leaders have issued statements saying they would be committed to pushing these laws through, should they win. And I’ll be on their cases.’ 

Mr Briggs said he has already sent a letter to Sir Keir and the Prime Minister asking them to make sure this legislation would be taken forward in future.

He continued: ‘I was in the Commons to see it go through unanimously and I did have a glass of champagne that evening. My job now is to hold them to account after July 4. I’m not going anywhere.

‘We’ve got so, so close. I understand why this delay has happened but I’m not giving up – and there are five other families supporting this too. It was a powerful letter we signed.

‘I met the transport secretary Mark Harper last Monday – we were talking about how to make sure this amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill was really strong, really robust.

‘It was an incredibly productive meeting – and then in the following days, the election was called and ultimately the whole bill was lost.

‘It took a couple of days for me to think, what do I do now? But I’m not stopping, nor are the other families – we’ve come this far.

‘These tragedies will just keep on happening otherwise. The increase in the number of cyclists is fantastic but there’s a concomitant increase in risk and there’s a huge glaring gap in the law.’

The campaign has been backed by Conservative MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith who told MailOnline he was confident the law will be changed they now have a commitment from both Labour and the Tories. 

He said: ‘We managed to get this into the Criminal Justice Bill within seven days then the Prime Minister called the election.

‘Because it is big and complex we thought the best course of action was to get a commitment from whoever ends up in government. 

‘We’ve had almost instant success. They have given a commitment and we have it in writing.’ 

A spokesperson from the Conservative Party said: ‘We are committed to delivering a new offence of dangerous cycling, ensuring cyclists who ride dangerously are brought to justice.’

The Labour Party has also been contacted for comment.  

Mr Briggs previously told MailOnline that although nothing will bring Kim back he hopes the changes will provide ‘parity in the law’ and give authorities a ‘clear process to prosecution’.

Charlie Alliston – the cyclist who hit Kim – was riding an illegal fixed-gear bike with no front brakes at 18mph at the time of the collision. 

Alliston was jailed for 18 months after he was found guilty at the Old Bailey of ‘wanton or furious driving’, using a law from 1861 – the Offences Against The Person Act – that was designed for horse riders.

Mr Briggs has argued that using a Victorian-era law to prosecute cyclists is ‘utterly ineffective’. 

The law change was backed by the House of Commons this month – a move that was hailed by campaigners as a ‘fantastic result’. 

He told MailOnline on May 15: ‘It has been a whirlwind over the past week. I am delighted not just for myself, but for so many other families involved in this. 

‘It is a fantastic result, great for all of us.’

‘I have been focused on getting this law through.

‘This law has been my pure and primary focus. Kim died in 2016 and since the end of the trial, for seven years, I have been campaigning for this law.’

Mr Briggs, who has two children aged 21 and 18, said his family ‘wanted something good to come out of this tragedy’.

He added: ‘Nothing will bring Kim back, the same way it won’t bring any others back. But hopefully it will help put an end to the confusion and chaos when you realise there is no law to prosecute cyclists.’

Mr Briggs insisted that his campaign was not ‘anti-cyclist’, but instead a push for equality in the law.

‘I cycle sometimes,’ he said. ‘But as the risk grows, with more people cycling, you need stronger rules.’

Dangerous cycling is already defined in the Road Traffic Act, which includes riding in a way which ‘falls far below what would be expected of a competent and careful cyclist’ and which ‘would be obvious to a competent and careful cyclist that riding in that way would be dangerous’.

The proposed new law would require cyclists to make sure their vehicle is ‘equipped and maintained’ in a legal way, which includes keeping brakes in working order.

It would apply to incidents involving pedal cycles, e-bikes, e-scooters and e-unicycles.

Causing death or serious injury by dangerous, careless or inconsiderate driving are already offences, but the vehicle involved must be ‘mechanically propelled’.