DANGEROUS DRIVING

 

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DANGEROUS ROADS - The state of Britain's roads is appalling, causing damage to vehicles and deaths that qualify as Corporate Manslaughter. The pothole politics of the present Government is hypocritical to say the least where on the one hand they are increasing sentences for drivers who cause death by their dangerous driving - and on the other hand they have the cheek to up the ante while not looking over their shoulder at what they are (not) doing that is contributing to the number of deaths of British roads, in allowing deterioration that the ordinary man in the street would recognise was a lethal combination with only one future outcome.

 

 

CROWBOROUGH LIFE OCTOBER 2017 - TOUGHER SENTENCES FOR CAUSING DEATH BY DANGEROUS DRIVING

 

Following years of dedicated campaigning, the MP for Wealden has welcomed the announcement that the following tougher sentencing will come into force for those who drive dangerously:

* life sentences will be introduced for those who cause death by speeding, racing or using a mobile phone;

* life sentences will also be introduced for drivers who kill while under the influence of drink or drugs; and

* a new offence of causing serious injury through careless driving is to be created.

Currently, the maximum penalty for causing death by dangerous driving is fourteen years.

Wealden has the fifth worst record in Britain for serious road accidents involving people being killed or seriously injured. This fact has been brought home in recent months by the tragic deaths of several local people in road accidents across Wealden.

This new legislation forms part of wider action by the Government to make roads safer for all road users and to clamp down on criminal behaviour on our roads.

Commenting on the legislation, Nus Ghani said:

It has taken two and a half years of hard campaigning for this change to be brought about to dangerous driving sentencing and it is gratifying to have been able to deliver on one of my very first policy promises to my constituents. Throughout the process of lobbying, consultation and policy proposals, I have represented the voices of people across Wealden at national level and, together, we have changed legislation.

The legislation has been widely supported by families and campaigners alike. The changes to sentencing come in the wake of a government consultation which revealed strong backing for increased penalties to be made available to the courts in cases of dangerous driving. The consultation, which launched in December last year, received over 1,000 replies in just three days – reaching in excess of 9,000 responses when it closed in February 2017. Responses were received from a large range of people, including: bereaved families, victims and road safety experts.

Ms Ghani was part of a group of four MPs who put the issue of dangerous driving on the Government’s agenda in lobbying for and securing a parliamentary debate on the issue in 2015. Since then Nus has monitored the progress of the consultation closely and has stayed in close contact with her colleagues in the Ministry of Justice and made repeated representations on behalf of Wealden including Westminster Hall Debates in Parliament.

Ms Ghani added:

The new sentencing powers available to courts will mean that the punishment for dangerous driving which causes death will finally reflect the harm caused to victims and their families. It is, of course, for a judge to decide on a sentence based on the full facts of each case, but the new legislation will mean that they finally have the necessary tools to deliver justice in the most severe cases.

Over the years, many local people have written to me about their fears concerning road safety and the inconsistency in the current sentencing for dangerous driving offences compared to the anguish caused by loss of life.

Wealden is unfortunate to have one of the highest levels of road traffic incidents, this new change will, I hope, deter drivers from driving recklessly or driving when under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Too many lives have been lost or blighted by road accidents and too much suffering has been caused to the families of victims. I have always hoped that by changing the law so that the sentencing reflected the crime, we could in some way reduce the car accident fatalities.

We owe it to the families of the victims of dangerous driving to do everything we can to make sure that similar incidents do not occur and that others do not have to suffer in the same way. by Stephan@CrowboroughLife.com

 

 

 

 

 

CROWBOROUGH LIFE DECEMBER 2014 - CHIEF CONSTABLE SUPPORTS ROAD WEALDEN SAFETY INITIATIVE

 

Giles York, the Chief Constable of Sussex Police, has given his support to the work carried out by Wealden to try to prevent the number of people killed or seriously injured on the District’s roads.

Wealden has more miles of rural roads than any other Sussex district and in recent years it has seen an increase in road traffic casualties at a time when nationally numbers are declining.

Speaking to Wealden’s November Full Council Meeting, Chief Constable Giles York praised the work done by the Council in highlighting the serious issues of road safety in Wealden, and stressed the importance of Enforcement, Education and Engineering in helping to save lives.

He said it was important to use social media and other new ways of getting the safety message across to younger drivers and those who failed to accept the reality of rural roads.

The Chief Constable also stressed the importance of closing a road for a limited time after serious accidents. This was not only to carry out a proper investigation into the cause of the accident, but also to ensure the emergency services were safe when working at the scene.

It was the first time that the Chief Constable has addressed a council meeting in East Sussex and he answered questions from councillors on a number of topics.

Councillor Brian Redman, chairman of Wealden District Council said:

We are very grateful to the Chief Constable for taking the time to attend our Council meeting and answer Members’ questions on a range of issues including the retention of Police Community Support Officers, the prevention of terrorism and decriminalisation of car parking. We work together in partnership with Sussex Police at a number of levels and we appreciate the real benefits this brings for the safety and welfare of the people of the District.

Wealden District Council’s report on road safety Driving the Message Home, commissioned by its Overview and Scrutiny Committee, identified the main contributory factors to road traffic accidents in the District as being:

* Failing to look properly.
* Failing to judge the other person’s course or speed.
* Carelessness or drivers in a hurry.
* Loss of control.
* Poor turn or manoeuvre.
by Stephan@CrowboroughLife.com

 

 

 

 

 

LINKS & REFERENCE

https://crowboroughlife.com/chief-constable-supports-wealden-road-safety-initiative-6709/

https://crowboroughlife.com/life-death-dangerous-driving-wealden-22294/

 

 

 

   Nus Ghani Wealden speed watch deaths by dangerous driving

 

SPEED WATCH - Any reduction is speed is of course welcomed if it helps to save lives. In climate change terms reducing speed reduces emissions and wear and tear on our roads. So well done on legislation that we hope will not lock up drivers who could not avoid running a pedestrian down where for example the pedestrian is drunk or under the influence of drugs and simply steps out into the road. The law is a double edged sword.