‘Dan Walker and the driver are BOTH in the wrong’: Safety campaigners slam Channel 5 host for wearing dark clothing but warn motorists should be aware of cyclists after horror crash – so who is right?
- Ex-BBC presenter was cycling to train station when crash took place on Monday
- Dashcam footage has emerged of incident, leaving experts at loggerheads
Safety campaigners have argued that both Dan Walker and a driver were jointly responsible for a crash that left the former BBC presenter bloodied and bruised.
The Channel 5 host, 45, was cycling to the train station in Sheffield city centre when the crash took place on a notorious roundabout at around 8.36am on Monday.
Dashcam footage has since emerged showing Walker on his bicycle when the rear wheel caught a car’s front wing, before he was sent sprawling onto the tarmac and narrowly avoided going under its wheels.
Meanwhile, experts are at loggerheads over who was responsible for the collision.
MailOnline has discovered there is a cycling path that would have diverted him through a subway underneath the road, avoiding heavy traffic.
In footage from a car ahead, Walker’s rear wheel can be seen catching the car’s front wing, flipping the Strictly Come Dancing star over
Dan Walker was hit by a car while trying to cycle over the roundabout on Moore Street in the centre of Sheffield, MailOnline understands
Instead, he cycled straight on and over the roundabout, which leads into central Sheffield from the south-western suburbs of the city.
What the Highway Code says about cyclists following update last year
The debate over Walker’s crash comes following a change to the Highway Code last year that placed ‘those road users most at risk in the event of a collision at the top of the hierarchy’.
It means drivers of vehicles that can cause the greatest harm bear the most responsibility to take care of others around them.
Essentially, the bigger and heavier the vehicle you drive, the more responsibility you have to reduce risk.
It also says: ‘You should give priority to cyclists on the roundabout. They will be travelling more slowly than motorised traffic.
‘Give them plenty of room and do not attempt to overtake them within their lane. Allow them to move across your path as they travel around the roundabout.’
The Highway Code adds that ‘drivers should take extra care when entering a roundabout to ensure that they do not cut across cyclists’.
A driving campaigner has argued Walker should have been using a nearby cycle lane that would have diverted him through a subway underneath the road, avoiding heavy traffic.
But cycling figures have said the driver should have had greater awareness prior to the collision.
The debate comes following a change to the Highway Code last year that placed ‘those road users most at risk in the event of a collision at the top of the hierarchy’.
It means drivers of vehicles that can cause the greatest harm bear the most responsibility to take care of others around them. Essentially, the bigger and heavier the vehicle you drive, the more responsibility you have to reduce risk.
The Code states: ‘You should give priority to cyclists on the roundabout. They will be travelling more slowly than motorised traffic.
‘Give them plenty of room and do not attempt to overtake them within their lane. Allow them to move across your path as they travel around the roundabout.’
The Highway Code adds that ‘drivers should take extra care when entering a roundabout to ensure that they do not cut across cyclists’.
Hugh Bladon, from the Alliance of British Drivers, said Walker should not have used the roundabout – said to be a notorious accident hotspot.
He told MailOnline: ‘Neither Walker or the driver are blameless. Walker should have used the safer route provided for him as a cyclist (why do cyclists not use the facilities provided for them?) and he is a clot for wearing dark clothing.
‘Cyclists should make sure they are clearly visible at all times. The driver appears to be starting to move to his left, presumably in preparation for taking the next exit.
‘With signs everywhere, other traffic to consider and maybe trying to find his way, it is a simple mistake to miss Walker possibly hidden by the A pillar. If I were cycling I would not venture onto that roundabout.’
But Duncan Dollimore, the head of campaigns at Cycling UK who both drives and cycles, said drivers need to ‘brush up’ on the new Highway Code guidance regarding vulnerable road users.
He said: ‘Without witnessing the incident, it would not be appropriate to comment on the specifics of the horrific collision involving Dan Walker and the driver.
The former BBC presenter took selfies of his bloodied face from the inside of an ambulance as he shared details of the frightening incident
The hierarchy of road users is a pyramid scheme of protection to keep those who are most vulnerable safe
Walker on his bicycle and the black car were seen edging closer and closer before the crash that saw the presenter knocked out for 20 minutes
‘Changes in the Highway Code last year make it clear when we drive we have a greater responsibility to look out for those more vulnerable than us, like people walking, cycling or horse riding.
READ MORE: Ex-BBC presenter Dan Walker was knocked out cold for 20 MINUTES after he was hit by a car while cycling in horror crash: ‘I’m very thankful to still be here’
‘Cycling UK knows not everyone is aware of these changes however, and we would urge the government to do more to communicate these changes clearly and effectively.
‘If people are not sure what the changes are and what this might mean for how you drive around those more vulnerable than us on the roads, then do brush up on your knowledge of the new guidance in the Highway Code about overtaking vulnerable road users.
‘The advice is clear, simple and following it will help save lives and prevent dreadful incidents like Mr Walker has just experienced.’
It comes as police say ‘enquiries are ongoing’ into the incident on Monday morning.
In an update, a spokesperson for South Yorkshire Police said that ‘no arrests have been made and enquiries are ongoing’.
The Strictly Come Dancing star lay unconscious on the road for 20 minutes and woke up to paramedics and police standing over him.
Police and paramedics were called to the scene, on the junction of Moore Street and Hanover Way, at 8.36am on Monday. Walker has no memory of the crash and thanked his helmet for saving his life.
Reports say 37 collisions have happened on Ecclesall Road, which leads onto Moore Street, between 2016 and 2019 where cyclists have been injured.
Cycle Sheffield previously told the Star that six of these were recorded at Hunters Bar roundabout, on the same long stretch of road.
He tweeted this selfie of his swollen face after arriving home from hospital on Monday
Walker thanked the two paramedics who treated him for the injuries before tweeting a picture of them from inside an ambulance. He said he was knocked out cold for 20 minutes
He was knocked out and narrowly avoided being run over by the car after he lay sprawled on the tarmac
Emergency services were called to the scene on the junction of Moore Street and Hanover Way. A cycle lane is said to go under the roundabout through a subway
Road safety experts have warned cyclists to use cycle lanes where possible and told road users to be more aware and on the ‘lookout’.
Read more: Dan Walker was knocked out cold for 20 MINUTES after he was hit by a car while cycling in horror crash
Rebecca Guy, road safety manager at Rospa, said: ‘We believe road users should be aware they are using a shared space and therefore on the lookout for others – this includes cyclists, people out walking, people on scooters and those in other vehicles.
‘Although we do recognise that cycle paths sometimes provide quieter routes with less traffic, cyclists may exercise their judgement and are not obliged to use them.’
Dr Suzy Charman, executive director of the Road Safety Foundation, added: ‘We know that cyclists and pedestrians are particularly vulnerable to being killed or seriously injured when they are struck by vehicles moving above 20mph which is why we are seeing lots of 20mph speed limits being put into place now.
‘We are pleased that Dan’s injuries appear minor, but this collision does illustrate the importance of either managing traffic speeds below 20mph where cyclists are expected to mix with motorised vehicles or providing segregated facilities where traffic speeds are higher.
A cycle lane is said to go under the roundabout through a subway
‘I would advise cyclists to use segregated facilities where they are provided especially where traffic is moving above 20mph, but I think there is also an onus on those that provide facilities to make sure they are safe and convenient.
‘We very much need to encourage active travel which brings health and environmental benefits, however we also need to provide convenient and safe facilities in order to realise those benefits.’
In October 2021, a 23-year-old motorist died when he crashed into railings on Moore Street, while last May a pedestrian was taken to hospital after being hit by a car just off the roundabout.
One restaurant worker half a mile from the accident scene said: ‘It’s a really big, busy roundabout with lots of traffic. He’s luckily to have escaped serious injury.
‘Dan comes in now and again with his family, he’s a really nice guy. I’m glad he’s now at home recuperating.’
The presenter previously posed for a selfie with his bicycle, believed to be the same bike he was using before the crash
Walker tweeted a selfie of his swollen face and bloodied shirt from the back of an ambulance.
He later wrote on social media: ‘I think I got hit by a car but was out cold for about 20 minutes. I have no memory of it.
‘I can’t believe I haven’t broken anything or that it is so much worse. I came round on the tarmac with paramedics and police standing over me. I’m very thankful to still be here and just have a beast of a headache.’
Walker hosted BBC Breakfast from 2016 and took part in the 2021 series of Strictly Come Dancing, revealing he signed up for the show to do something ‘fun’ and have a ‘giggle’ after reporting on difficult news stories during the pandemic.
He also hosted Football Focus for 12 years, along with regular appearances on Match of the Day, the Grand National, Royal Ascot and the NFL Show.
Last year he replaced Sian Williams as the lead anchor for 5 News after she announced she was stepping down in April last year.
He also presents a number of other shows on Channel 5 including Digging for Treasure.
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