The sparkle in Diane Gall's eyes when she remembers her husband Martyn is tinged with an everlasting sorrow. She recalls a man who adored the colour pink, a vibrant hue that adorned his cycling kit, including the pink rubber overshoes he wore on a fateful November morning.
Martyn Gall, a father to two teenage daughters, set out for a Saturday bike ride with his friend and fellow cycling club member, James Middleton. The pair were experienced, careful cyclists embarking on a familiar route through the Worcestershire countryside.
A Life Shattered in an Instant
Their journey turned tragic when they entered the A441 Alvechurch bypass. On the same road was motorist Sania Shabbir, returning home from a night shift at an Amazon depot in her VW Golf.
An analysis of Shabbir's phone later revealed a devastating truth. She had been accessing multiple applications, including YouTube, Instagram, and WhatsApp. At 7:25 am, she had even taken and sent a photo from her driving seat, showing her dashboard and the dual carriageway ahead, with the speedometer reading 67mph.
Soon after, she ploughed into the two cyclists, apparently without seeing them. Martyn died almost instantly. James Middleton sustained life-changing injuries. A single, shocking moment on a November morning had irrevocably shattered lives.
A Fight for Justice and Lasting Consequences
For nearly three years, Shabbir denied responsibility, claiming the collision was 'an accident'. This meant she remained free to drive and live her life while Martyn's family grieved. It was not until June 2023, at her trial, that she finally admitted her guilt.
Shabbir was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison for causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving. She was also banned from driving for four years and nine months. Based on sentencing guidelines, she has already been released from jail.
In a few years, she will be eligible to retake her driving test. For Diane Gall, this is a reality she finds impossible to accept. "This driver destroyed our family," she states. "We are serving a life sentence, our lives are totally changed."
A Campaign for Change on UK Roads
Today, Diane stands with other bereaved families, supported by the charity Roadpeace and BirminghamLive, to demand action. Their central plea is for the introduction of lifetime driving bans for those who kill or seriously maim through dangerous driving.
Diane argues that the permanent loss of a licence is a proportionate consequence. "She should have to put up with a lifetime of inconvenience, because that's really all a driving ban is," she says. "Our lives are more than inconvenienced every day permanently for the rest of our lives. So, I think it's a small price to pay to have your licence taken away for good."
Their campaign highlights a worrying rise in road deaths and serious injuries in the Birmingham region and calls for zero tolerance, greater enforcement, and swifter justice to prevent other families from experiencing the same heartbreak.
