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7 February 2005 - Consultation on
Punishments for Bad Driving
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A consultation on Review of Road Traffic Offences,
requesting proposals for bad driving has been published by the Government and
contains proposals as follows:
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New offences (max sentences of 5 years imprisonment) of causing
death by careless driving and death resulting from illegal (disqualified or
unlicensed) driving.
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A requirement for courts to take serious injuries into account
when sentencing
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An alternative verdict of guilty for statutory offences to be
available to the courts when the offence of manslaughter is not proved.
The Government aim to reduce the number of people injured,
disabled or killed on our roads by bad driving and have set targets to achieve
figures of a 40% reduction, with the number of children injured or killed
reduced by 50% by the year 2010.
Drivers owe a duty of care to other road users, cyclists,
pedestrians, passengers and motor cyclists, which most want to comply with.
However, there are other bad drivers who breach driving standards and
compliances regularly and deliberately. The law, as it stands, does
not make provision in distinction of bad driving, whether a mistake has been
made by perhaps failing to see a warning sign, or deliberately flouting of
lawful road signs and speed limits.
Home Office Minister commented on the proposals:
"Our proposals today, which we aim to take forward in
legislation, seek to strike the right balance between the level of criminal
culpability on the part of the bad or illegal driver and the devastation that
their action may cause.
"Too many of those who have been disqualified from driving by
a court or who drive without an appropriate licence put other road users at risk
by taking a vehicle out on the road in clear breach of both the law and their
responsibilities to other road users. It is right that they should be held
accountable for any consequences that may result, irrespective of the standard
of the driving involved."
Founder of RoadPeace also commented:
"RoadPeace, the UK's charity for road traffic victims, has
been calling for many years for an end to using minor traffic charges in
response to culpable road deaths and injuries. But our long wait for action will
require that the laws that will finally replace the inappropriate summary
charges bring justice and serve as a deterrent. We hope will be the outcome of
the Government's present consultation on road traffic offences involving bad
driving."
Closing date for proposals is 6 March, 2005. For
information as to how to submit your comments, click the following:
Consultation on Review of Road Traffic Offences involving Bad Driving
Article by Alexandra Johnston
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