Former rugby internationalist backing cycle law campaign

Former Scotland rugby star Scott Hastings and his wife have backed calls for the law to be changed so motorists would be presumed to be at fault if they were in an accident with a cyclist.

The couple have given their support to the campaign after they both lost close friends in road accidents in recent weeks.

Campaign group Cycle Law Scotland has been calling for stricter liability laws to be introduced, so in the event of a collision involving a car or other motor vehicle and a cyclist or pedestrian, it would be presumed the motorist was liable unless they could show otherwise.

This would apply unless the injured person was under 14 or over 70 years of age, or disabled, in which case the motorist would be deemed to be fully liable.

Mr Hastings said: “All road users need to be far more aware of cyclists who use the road. This can be as simple as giving more space to a cyclist when passing or overtaking but we also believe cyclists also have a responsibility to be more visible to other road users.”