Today has seen the introduction of severe punishment for drivers who cause death by careless driving or by driving while unlicensed, disqualified or uninsured. These new laws should send a clear message to wayward drivers and that they pay attention or go to jail, claims the AA.
The ‘Don’t drive distracted’ announcement from Justice Secretary Jack Straw highlights a range of new careless driving laws designed to allow courts to imprison drivers who cause death because they were not paying due care and attention to the road or to other road users.
The Government has also given more power to the courts.
Law courts will also consider ‘avoidable distractions’ when sentencing motorists, including use of mobile phones, eating and drinking and applying make-up while driving.
Those people whose carelessness causes road death will face the near certainty of a prison sentence, as will those who were driving without insurance or a licence when involved in a fatal collision.
Andrew Howard, AA Head of Road Safety warned: “Drivers need to remember that this does not just apply to ‘others’, people they read about in the paper, who are careless. It could also apply to them. While many will welcome killer drivers going to jail, we all have to remember that we are just one little slip of attention away from being there ourselves. These new laws are the latest in the history of Britain’s attempt to handle the issue of people who kill other people while driving. Many other systems have been welcomed, but not satisfied everyone. Only time will tell if we have got it right with this new law.”
The AA also expects these new laws to be widely welcomed by the insurance industry – many insurers significantly increase premiums, or refuse cover, for drivers who are convicted of careless driving, including convictions linked to the use of hand-held mobile telephones.
Simon Douglas, director of AA Insurance, says: “Using a hand-held mobile telephone while driving, already attracts a fixed penalty of £60 and three penalty points. However, this offence often also attracts a careless driving penalty – whether the driver is involved in an accident or not. And in the event of an accident, particularly if someone is killed or seriously injured, police will routinely check mobile telephone records to see whether use of the phone was a contributory cause of the accident. Insurers recognise that such penalties lead to sometimes significant insurance claims and will either refuse to insure convicted drivers or significantly increase the premium they pay.”
Simon Douglas added: “That premium increase will remain for three years, significantly adding to the cost of the penalty. Eight people die on our roads each day and drivers who have been convicted of causing death through careless driving can expect to find it very difficult and expensive to obtain car insurance after they have served their sentence. No telephone call is ever worth the risk of causing death or injury. Switch the phone off when you are driving or put it on silent and collect calls at the next service area. And if you make a call to someone who is obviously driving, hang up immediately.”
Simon McBride
