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Luckily, we were parked up on the pavement today, so we're in the clear, but we've just received this from the Police:

"Police are appealing for witnesses and information following a serious road traffic collision on the St James Barton roundabout in Bristol.

At around 12.50pm this afternoon (Wednesday May 18) a woman cyclist and a car were in collision on the Bond Street exit.

The driver failed to stop and the woman was taken to Frenchay hospital with extensive injuries. She remains in hospital.

Police would now like to speak to the driver of a car believed to be a dark coloured VW Passatt with partial registration X 471.

Anyone who may have witnessed this collision or who may know the vehicle involved is asked to call PC Richard Glanville on 0845 456 7000"

We've contacted the Association of British Drivers to see if they know the driver.

What cost for others paying the ultimate price?

Not a lot, fellow motorists will be pleased to hear.

Kill a cyclist as a professional driver (despite previous convictions for speeding and driving whilst using a mobile phone) and just 200 hours of community service is required thanks to Bristol's finest Judge Neil Ford (I am sure the motoring surname is a coincidence!)

That is just double the sentence for beating a cyclist unconcious if they should clip your wing mirror.

If you kill a colleague by running over him in a lorry that you should not be driving because you are blind in one eye and cheated on your eyesight test to get your licence then that is 150 hours of community service. At least you do not lose your driving licence though! Just 9 points and a restriction to cars rather than HGVs - Thanks again by the way Judge Ford for that one too.

Mind you a word of warning. Make sure you stop if you kill someone because you are too blind to drive. A poor motorist who has glaucoma and cateracts will have to serve 4 months in jail of an 8 month sentence for killing a cyclist, obviously not for taking a life but presumably for failing to stop and only being caught as he returned home having attended the meeting he was driving to in the first place.

But despite the minor risk of a slap on the wrists you still need to be careful. Remember there is a fellow motorist with one eye about in Bristol.

Scary

No, not daffodils.

These are the locations of cycling 'incidents' in Bristol during 2007. If you have Google Earth you can download the kml file here. Britain will glow yellow - not mid Wales, though!

H/T to Tom Taylor