Amazon driver Daniaal Iqbal caused fatal crash while using Snapchat

Daniaal Iqbal sent a message on Snapchat seconds before a crash which killed motorcyclist Peter Rushforth.

An Amazon delivery driver who killed a motorcyclist while using Snapchat behind the wheel has been jailed.

Daniaal Iqbal, 23, of Toller Lane, Bradford, collided with Peter Rushforth, 56, while driving his van on a country road near Ripon.

The impact of the crash in September 2019 killed Mr Rushforth instantly.

Iqbal was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving on 15 August and jailed for three years and six months at York Crown Court on Tuesday.

He was also disqualified from driving for two years.

Iqbal had just made a delivery to a farm when he rounded a corner on Kirby Road in his Ford Transit van and crashed into Mr Rushforth, of Ripon, who was travelling towards the city on his GSXR Suzuki motorbike.

The Amazon driver denied he had been distracted but forensic examination of his mobile phone by detectives showed he had sent a message on Snapchat seconds before the collision.

'Entirely avoidable'

North Yorkshire Police said it had also uncovered "unquestionable evidence" Iqbal had been using his phone all along Kirby Road and had launched navigation apps while driving.

Det Sgt Kirsten Aldridge, of the force's major collision investigation team, said: "This is yet another fatal collision caused by a driver who refused to listen to the warnings about the risk of using a mobile while driving and chose to blatantly disregard the law.

"Very sadly it's Peter Rushforth who has paid the price for Daniaal Iqbal's poor decision-making.

"To lose someone in a traffic collision is devastating, but to know that it was entirely avoidable and was caused by someone who believed sending a message was more important than their safety is galling."

Iqbal will have to pass an extended driving test to be allowed on the roads again after disqualification expires.