Thousands of people have had their say on plans to introduce life
sentences for killer drivers.
The consultation, which opened on 5 December 2016, attracted over
1,000 replies in just 3 days, reaching more than 9,000 when it
closed yesterday (1 February 2017).
The overwhelming response is one of the highest for a Ministry of
Justice (MOJ) consultation, and included contributions from
victims, bereaved families, road safety groups and charities.
Justice Minister said:
Killer drivers ruin lives. While we can never compensate for
the loss of a loved one, we are clear that the punishment must
fit the crime.
So I would like to thank the thousands who have contributed to
this consultation. We will now carefully consider each of these
and will set out our plans as soon as possible.
The consultation sought views on whether the current maximum
penalties available to the courts should be increased.
The proposals included:
- increasing the maximum sentence for causing death by
dangerous driving from 14 years to life
- increasing the maximum sentence for causing death by careless
driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs from 14
years to life
- creating a new offence of causing serious injury by careless
driving, with a maximum sentence of 3 years
- increasing minimum driving bans for those convicted of
causing death.
The plans build on the government’s pledge to consider sentencing
powers available to the courts for the most serious driving
offences. The government will consider the responses and set out
its plans in the coming months.
Notes to editors
- The UK has one of the best road safety records in the world –
but deaths and serious injuries cause devastation to victims and
their families.
- The consultation looked
at the most serious road offences. It did not cover other
driving or regulatory offences such as speeding, the setting of
drink drive limits, the basic offences of careless or dangerous
driving and driving whilst using a mobile phone.
- This follows further action in 2015, when the government
increased the maximum custodial sentence for causing death whilst
driving when disqualified from 2 to 10 years. A new offence of
causing serious injury when driving whilst disqualified was also
created, with a maximum penalty of 4 years imprisonment. It also
brought into force the statutory requirement to extend a driving
ban to take account of any time spent in custody.
- Sentencing remains a matter for independent judges, with
decisions made based on the full facts of the case.
