As reported back in October by specialist drink driving solicitors Keep Me On The Road, death by dangerous driving laws are finally being looked at and now we know the government is considering life sentences for the offence.
A consultation has been launched which runs until February and seeks opinions on increasing the current 14 year maximum term for offenders that cause death by dangerous driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs.
The proposals also include increasing the maximum sentence for causing death by careless driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs to life; creating a new offence of causing serious injury by careless driving, with a maximum sentence of three years, and increasing the minimum driving ban for anyone convicted of causing death.
The Ministry of Justice says it hopes the measures would see custodial sentences for causing death by dangerous or careless driving increase from an average of 45.8 months in 2015.
Charity Brake welcomes the plans. It has campaigned for tougher sentences and it sees this consultation as a vindication of its efforts and those of victims’ families:
“For too long, the justice system has treated them as second class citizens,” says its campaigns director Gary Rae.
However, he also sounds a note of caution:
“We do remain concerned that the charge of ‘careless’ driving could remain. Some of the strongest feedback we have received from the families we work with, is that there is nothing careless about taking someone else’s life.
“We also want clarification on whether the current automatic 50% discount, where convicted drivers serve only half their term in jail, will still apply for these new, proposed sentences.”
Perhaps something else to question would be what impact raising the maximum prison sentence would have, when few, if any, offenders have been handed a 14-year term.
The consultation can be accessed here.
The post on dangerous driving was originally published on Keep Me On The Road, the motoring law arm of Rothera Sharp Solicitors.
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