The family of a teenage cyclist who was killed by a speeding driver in Coventry have appealed for motorists to drive within the speed limit. Police investigators said that Tajinder Rai was doing a minimum of 67mph in a 40mph zone when he hit 17-year-old Ryan Willoughby-Oakes.
The Coventry Telegraph reports that Rai was driving a Nissan GT-R along Binley Road in Coventry, on October 5, 2018 when he hit Willoughby-Oakes at the junction with Allard Way.
Rai stopped while passers-by administered first aid, but the teenager was pronounced dead at the scene.
Rai denied causing death by dangerous driving but was found guilty.
He was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in jail and banned from driving for seven years and nine months.
Following sentencing Willoughby-Oakes’ family said: “We would ask everyone to think about their driving; to slow down, to realise that you are driving a lethal machine if you drive in this dangerous manner.
“Please drive within the speed limit, think about the environment you are driving in, expect the unexpected.
“We beg you to please remember our beautiful Ryan Joseph Willoughby-Oakes’ face and realise that your actions on the road have consequences.”
Detective Sergeant Paul Hughes, from West Midlands Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “A teenager who had his whole life ahead of him tragically lost his life due to a motorist not following the speed limit.
“There is no excuse to be travelling at nearly 70mph in a 40mph zone; this shows the importance of obeying speed limits and if Rai had been driving at 40mph, I believe he would have been able to slow down in time to see Ryan.
“Although nothing will bring Ryan back, we hope his family find some comfort in this outcome.”
Coventry motorist who killed teenage cyclist was driving at motorway speeds in 40mph zone | road.cc
The family of a teenage cyclist who was killed by a speeding driver in Coventry have appealed for motorists to drive within the speed limit. Police investigators said that Tajinder Rai was doing a minimum of 67mph in a 40mph zone when he hit 17-year-old Ryan Willoughby-Oakes. The Coventry Telegraph reports that Rai was driving… [Read More]
