Geoff Buchanan was an avid cyclist and well-regarded in the Dannevirke community. Photo / Supplied
Cyclist Geoff Buchanan hugged the left-hand white line on the side of a rural road near Dannevirke as a man in a vehicle with bullbars drove up behind him.
Buchanan could be seen on the dashcam three seconds before being struck.
But the driver of the vehicle, John Reeve, didn’t see him. He struck and killed the 57-year-old on Weber Rd, 7km from his home, on May 1 last year.
Reeve was convicted of careless use of a motor vehicle causing death and on Friday was sentenced to pay $20,000 in reparation at an emotional sitting of the Dannevirke District Court.
He was also disqualified from holding a driving licence for 12 months.
Judge Lance Rowe said the summary of facts showed Reeve had been travelling north on Weber Rd in his Toyota Landcruiser around 4.40pm on May 1, 2022.
Buchanan had also been travelling north on his bicycle. The road was reasonably narrow, with no shoulder at the point it went uphill.
“As you approached the curve, coming around the bend, Geoff was in front of you, as far to the left as he could reasonably ride.”
Judge Rowe said Reeve didn’t see him and the vehicle struck him.
Rowe said the lighting was intermittent, with the sun going in and out of cloud but the dashcam in his vehicle picked up Buchanan three seconds before he was struck.
“He was there to be seen and you didn’t see him.”
The judge told Reeve that if the road conditions were such that his vision was obscured, then he had an obligation to take greater care.
In a statement, his family said he was a “dearly loved and adored husband, dad, granddad, son and brother”.
“He was the protector and provider for his wife, daughters and grandson; they were everything to him, his pride and joy and now his legacy.”
The family, through representative Andrew Schmidt, said his death had devastated their lives and they now struggled daily to cope without him.
“Geoff was known to be clever, patient, thoughtful and kind to everyone. He was a diplomat and trusted by many people.”
Buchanan worked at both CSL and Caltex Westlow for more than 20 years and his employers and colleagues had lost a dedicated and loyal worker.
“The Dannevirke community has lost a very well-respected member, who would go out of his way to help others and enjoyed having a laugh with everyone.”
Schmidt said Buchanan was killed less than 7km from his home, was highly visible to drivers, and his family felt he had every right to be cycling on that road and to get home safely.
“He was as far left as he could be and was hugging the white line; he couldn’t have moved any further over as there was a ditch on the edge of the road.”
Schmidt said the impact and outcome of the crash was amplified by the full-width bull bars on the driver’s vehicle.
His family said Geoff was doing what he loved – going for a bike ride on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.
“He spent hours planning his route and calculating the time it would take him. He always cycled during the day and wore reflective clothing that would stand out.
“He loved cycling. It was his fitness, his freedom, his energy.”
Having grown up in the Waitahora Valley, his favourite cycling route was the Waitahora/Motea block, which was accessed via Weber Rd and it was a route he cycled many times.
Mitchell Tiaiti, from the local cycling club, said many members of the club frequently used Weber Rd as the hilly terrain provided good training.
Schmidt said many people in New Zealand enjoyed cycling rural roads, including those in Dannevirke where options of cycling tracks or lanes did not exist.
“If a driver chooses to use legal full-width bull bars to protect the vehicle’s occupants, they should be aware it increases the risk to those sharing that road; their use comes with a higher social contract duty of care as they leave no room for error.”
Ministry of Transport statistics stated that between 2017 and 2022, an average of 11 cyclists per year had been killed and 176 cyclists per year have been seriously injured on our roads.
Counsel for the defendant Paul Paino said Reeve would love to have a minute back to change what he did, but that was not possible.
He said Reeve, who was in his 70s, had driven the greater part of his life and had no convictions.
Drugs, alcohol and speed were not factors in the accident.
In a meeting with probation, Reeve expressed deep remorse and acknowledged the impact Geoff’s death had on his family.
Judge Rowe acknowledged the courage Buchanan’s family showed, his wife, daughters and siblings, in reading their statements in court.
“It’s clear that Geoff’s death has resulted in unfathomable stress,” he said.
In acknowledging the family’s description of Buchanan, he added that he was “a man after my own heart in telling dad jokes”.
In sentencing Reeve, Judge Rowe said he needed to take into account the loss for Buchanan’s family, but couldn’t hope to place a value on that loss.