1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184 
Peer questions 'death by careless driving' law
Page 9
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
A TORY PEER has warned that the new offence of causing death by careless driving could backfire by allowing more guilty drivers to walk free.
Earl Attlee has told CM that under the new law, which is expected to come into force in autumn 2007, drivers who have made a single momentary error face a jail sentence and mandatory loss of licence.At present,the same behaviour might only carry a fine in the magistrate's court.
He believes the threat ofjail will make drivers contest the charge, where previously they would have accepted points and a fine. He also believes juries will he increasingly reluctant to convict an otherwise good driver if he faces the loss of his licence and livelihood.
"There was a gap in the law and it needed to be filled." says Attlee. --This, however, is a misconceived method of doing it.
The new offences of causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving are currently in front of the Sentencing Guidelines Council. The first will carry a maximum five-year jail term and the second a maximum two-year term, both with a mandatory licence ban.
A Department for Transport spokesman says the new offences are designed to make sure that culpable drivers do not escape punishment by slipping between the cracks in legislation.