By John Simpson 06 June 2012
An overwhelming majority of motorists are in favour of a change in the law that would deal out tougher punishment for reckless drivers that cause life changing injuries, according to a survey conducted by the Institute of Advanced Motorists.
Under current law, if a motorist causes very serious injury due to driving recklessly, they are often charged with dangerous driving. Critics say this does not reflect the severity of outcome and more than half of respondents (53%) believe the sentence should be based on the offence itself while 44% thought sentences should be based on the outcome.
Just 6% of respondents were not supportive of the idea of tougher sentences for reckless drivers.
Simon Best, IAM’s Chief Executive, said: “People want to see tougher penalties to deal with situations where the victim of a road accident is seriously injured. But the government needs to ensure that punishments for dangerous driving accurately reflect the severity of the offences committed.”
Seven in ten respondents reckon that enforcement and the likelihood of being caught was the biggest deterrent of dangerous driving. For nearly half (48%), it was ‘the consequences – causing death or injury to myself or others’ or ‘the severity of the punishment if I am caught’ (43%).
Mr Best concluded: “It may seem shocking that enforcement is a greater deterrent to poor driving, than the risk of causing death of injury, but just as seeing police on the beat reduces crime, highly visible traffic cops reduce bad driving.
“Therefore any change in law needs to be supported by well resourced enforcement on our roads.”
Categories: Fleet news , IAM
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Mike Cuthbert - 347 days ago
Not surprising that people voted in this manner, it is something that needs changed and I think there should be many higher levels of punishment for reckless driving and causing fatal or life threatening injuries.
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