THE woman driving the car that fatally struck an experienced cyclist in Bennett Springs hours before his surprise 60th birthday party last year has been handed a $500 fine.

Tom Curtis, 60, was riding his bicycle along Marshall Road about 5.35am on December 6 last year when he was hit by the Mazda hatchback being driven by Kalamunda woman Caitlin Jean Smith.

Smith, 21, was originally charged with dangerous driving causing death, however Smith pleaded guilty to the downgraded charge of careless driving earlier this month, an offence that carries a maximum $600 fine.

Mr Curtis, who was on his way to meet members of his cycling club, was flung up onto the hatchback's bonnet before he hit the windscreen and fell onto the road.

He was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital but he died soon after.

Smith's lawyer Seamus Rafferty said there was no one was to blame for Mr Curtis' death.

"It was absolutely no way his fault ... but it was not her fault either," he said.

Mr Rafferty told the court the section of road where Mr Curtis was killed was "not up to Australian standards" at the time of the crash.

Deputy chief magistrate Elizabeth Woods said there was no other option for the court but to impose a "relatively modest fine".

"It's a very difficult situation for all concerned," she said. "At the end of the day, the fine cannot reflect what happened."

Outside court, Mr Curtis' wife Liz said she understood the sentence, adding that she hoped recent changes to the Road Traffic Act would mean tougher sentences in the future.

"I do feel sorry for (Smith) because she has to live with this all her life," she said. "But I do feel angry that the laws don't reflect something more, but they will in future."

Mrs Curtis, who was planning a surprise birthday party for Mr Curtis on the day of his death, said receiving the message her husband had been killed was "the worst day I've ever had in my whole life".

"It's very hard to understand that he's never going to be coming back," she said.

"I know it was an accident but it doesn't make it any easier."