Saxon
02-11-2004, 15:26
I caught a few minutes of lunch time TV yesterday and there was a programe about unlicenced, untaxed, uninsured drivers who had killed whilst behind the wheel and been fined £200 - £350 and banned from driving (but still continued to drive).
A judge said that their hands were tied as they could only impose fines in line with the culprits earnings - only 'Causing death by dangerous driving' carried a prison sentence and was very difficult to prove.
Pardon me, but common sense would say someone who has not passed a driving test, bothered to tax and insure their car and then driven it at speed, so recklessly that a pedestrian walking on the PAVEMENT is killed, must be driving dangerously, if not even premeditated as they knew the risks they were taking with others lives, but with such small fines of £60.00 for driving without a licence, why should they as they will be still financially better off even if they do get caught.
If David Jamieson (Minister for Transport) was serious about reducing the 'Killed and Seriously Injured' rates in the UK, he would be addressing these drivers who repeatedly appear in these statistics (one "driver" had committed six offences whilst waiting for the first case to come to court) by changing the law, or allowing common sense to prevail and press charges for death by dangerous driving, automatically if driver has not passed test and/or not insured, without exception.
Imagine if it was one of your family killed by these morons, would you feel that justice had been done in any way for a £200 fine and a twelve month ban (which will be ignored) to be imposed.
We should all be writing to our MPs, getting our clients to write to their MPs, ( http://www.faxyourmp.com if unsure who your MP is or to send them a message) demanding that the minister consider this as top priority.
A judge said that their hands were tied as they could only impose fines in line with the culprits earnings - only 'Causing death by dangerous driving' carried a prison sentence and was very difficult to prove.
Pardon me, but common sense would say someone who has not passed a driving test, bothered to tax and insure their car and then driven it at speed, so recklessly that a pedestrian walking on the PAVEMENT is killed, must be driving dangerously, if not even premeditated as they knew the risks they were taking with others lives, but with such small fines of £60.00 for driving without a licence, why should they as they will be still financially better off even if they do get caught.
If David Jamieson (Minister for Transport) was serious about reducing the 'Killed and Seriously Injured' rates in the UK, he would be addressing these drivers who repeatedly appear in these statistics (one "driver" had committed six offences whilst waiting for the first case to come to court) by changing the law, or allowing common sense to prevail and press charges for death by dangerous driving, automatically if driver has not passed test and/or not insured, without exception.
Imagine if it was one of your family killed by these morons, would you feel that justice had been done in any way for a £200 fine and a twelve month ban (which will be ignored) to be imposed.
We should all be writing to our MPs, getting our clients to write to their MPs, ( http://www.faxyourmp.com if unsure who your MP is or to send them a message) demanding that the minister consider this as top priority.