An 81-year-old woman from Cuijk has been sentenced to a suspended community service order of 180 hours for hitting a cyclist (18) in Katwijk (municipality of Cuijk) in March last year. The cyclist died after the collision.
The elderly woman voluntarily surrendered her driver’s license after the dramatic events. Despite this, the court also imposed a one-year driving ban on her.
The motorist did not break any traffic rules, kept to the speed limit of 30 kilometers per hour and drove on a straight road in broad daylight. She has stated that she did not see the cyclist because she was concentrating on oncoming traffic.
Obstructed view
The court does not find a plausible explanation that her view was also obstructed by a traffic sign. The woman hit the cyclist without braking or swerving. The victim ended up under the car through the hood and died of a skull base fracture.
The court notes in the judgment that the consequences of the accident are enormous and can still be felt on a daily basis for the relatives of the victim. On the other hand, the drama has deeply moved the motorist and she has shown great remorse.
Given her advanced age, community service is not easy to carry out. That is why it has been imposed on her in a conditional form.
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