Bedford councillor's plea to drivers to de-ice their windscreens after death of friend

During last night’s Executive Meeting (Wednesday, January 8) councillor Phillippa Martin-Moran-Bryant (Conservative, Great Barford) told members that in 2017 a friend, Jasjot Singhoa, was on a pedestrian crossing in London when she was hit by a motorist who “failed to clear his windscreen properly, killing her and no doubt ruining his own life in the process”.

“So the reason I make this plea is very personal. Motorists please give yourself that extra time to prepare your car this winter,” she added.

“Given the weather that we are having at the moment, cars have got frozen windows, they’ve got misted windows. And if they’re not cleared properly you can’t see.

“It’s really important to make sure that your car is ready for the road so that [the driver] can see clearly to prevent accidents.”

The councillor also made a plea to cyclists to ensure they use lights when riding.

“[It does] seem to particularly be younger cyclists who jeopardize their safety by not having lights in their bikes,” she said.

“And they wear black clothing and as a motorist you can hardly see them – it’s really scary.

“Lights are not expensive, they are required and they could save your life or save you from serious life-changing harm,” she said.

“And if you’ve got a friend or a family member who doesn’t have lights, maybe just think about buying them.

“My plea to everyone is just be really mindful of your own safety and the safety of others.”

> In January 2019 a man was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment for causing death by careless driving, reduced from 16 months, and four and a half months for causing death by driving uninsured, to be served concurrently, after pleading guilty to both offences.

He was also disqualified from driving for 23 months and ordered to take a standard re-test upon the end of his disqualification period.

In a post on X, in January 2019, the Metropolitan Police said: "Dr Jasjot Singhota was a much loved and talented individual who worked as a doctor to improve the lives of others. She was an incredibly kind and selfless person. Through being an organ donor she saved the lives of five other people since her death.”