LOCAL MP Karen Lumley has thrown her weight behind Government plans to consult on possible changes to penalties for those who kill or cause serious injury on the roads.
The consultation proposes raising the maximum penalties for some of the most serious driving offences and to create a new offence of ‘causing serious injury by careless driving’.
The initiative addresses four main issues: The distinction between ‘careless’ and ‘dangerous’ driving, a perceived “gap in the law” for causing serious injury by careless driving, the maximum penalties for causing death and driving disqualifications.
Most of the time, the vast majority of drivers drive well, but there are occasions when even an error of judgment or loss of attention can have devastating consequences,” said Mrs Lumley.
“There are constituents of mine, one who got in touch with me very recently about her brother who was killed in a road traffic accident, that this affects and I know it devastates families, and so I am very pleased the Government is committed to ensuring the legislative framework that the courts operate within reflects the seriousness of offending and the culpability of the offender.”
The consultation is available at: https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/driving-offences-causing-death-or-serious-injury
