South Australians protest against hit-and-run death

An alliance of South Australian cyclists called "Wheels of Justice" is planning a protest ride from Adelaide's Victoria Square to Parliament House on May 7 at 9:30am. The group is outraged at the verdict in a recent hit-and-run case in South Australia, where lawyer and ex-police prosecutor Eugene McGee was fined just $1250 after he hit and killed cyclist Ian Humphrey in the Barossa Valley on November 30, 2003.

McGee did not stop at the scene, but later admitted in court that he had been involved in the crash, even though he claimed not to have seen Mr. Humphrey before the collision. He also admitted that he had drunk "less than a bottle of wine" with his brother at lunch, but was not breath tested by police. He was given a charge of "driving without due care" after the more serious charges of "death by dangerous driving" and "driving in a manner dangerous to the public" were thrown out by the court.

The Wheels of Justice group is urging cyclists to come and support their rally, seeking to raise "education, enforcement and accountability in the protection of our rights to ride our bikes safely on the streets of South Australia." Cyclists are encouraged to write messages on an old water bottles and leave them on Parliament's steps.