CYCLISTS who kill pedestrians could face tougher sentences under a planned new law for England, Scotland and Wales reports the BBC.

The move proposed by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps will close a loophole which means they can only currently be jailed for two years.

He said it will “impress on cyclists the real harm they can cause when speed is combined with lack of care”.

Causing death by dangerous driving carries a maximum sentence of 14 years.

Death by careless driving has a maximum sentence of five years.

The government launched a review into whether an equivalent offence to causing death by dangerous driving was needed for cyclists in 2017. It followed a case where a cyclist was convicted of the 19th Century offence of “wanton or furious driving”.

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