David Alistair Andrews · Prevention of Future Deaths report

On 21 July 2022 I commenced an investigation into the death of David Alistair Andrews, 63. The investigation concluded at the end of the inquest on 14 July 2023. The conclusion of the inquest was road traffic collision.

Mr Andrews was a keen cyclist and had been interested in cycling for about 10 years. On 11 July 2022, he was cycling south along the A4251, Tring Road, where he collided with a stationary heavy good vehicle which had stopped outside commercial premises waiting to unload. Sadly, he suffered significant traumatic injuries from which he did not recover, and he died on 12 July 2022 at St George’s Hospital, London.

The inquest received evidence that:
• At the location where the road traffic collision occurred, the road is single carriageway road, with one lane serving each direction. The carriageway is 7 metres wide with each lane measuring approximately 3.1 metres in width with a double solid white line system with a gap between the lines of approximately 0.8 metres. Adjacent to the southbound lane is a grass verge, this gives way to an area of hard standing approximately 0.9 metres in width. A footpath is adjacent to the northbound lane.
• The speed limit at this point is 40mph, there are no parking restrictions and it is not a designated clearway.
• Photographs taken of the scene show that notwithstanding the heavy goods vehicle had stopped as far to the left as possible, the vehicle still took up nearly all of the southbound carriageway which bends to the right at this point.
• Heavy goods vehicles frequently park on the southbound carriageway in order to unload, and witnesses have described this as “...an accident waiting to happen.”
• Evidence was also received from the Forensic Collision Investigator, who gave evidence that in his view the current ability for heavy goods vehicles to lawfully stop outside the commercial premises to unload represents an ongoing risk.

1. That on this particular stretch of road heavy goods vehicles are permitted to stop in order to unload, thereby effectively blocking the southbound carriageway.