Ban Britain’s most dangerous drivers for life, say Tories
Britain’s most dangerous drivers should be banned from the roads for life, the Conservatives have said.
Just one per cent of people convicted of causing death by dangerous driving last year were handed a lifetime driving ban, new figures reveal. Just half a per cent of those convicted of causing serious injury by dangerous driving were banned for life.
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: “Under this Government, you can kill someone with your car and be back on the road in just five years.
“In England and Wales, the most dangerous drivers are being let back behind the wheel every single day because of soft sentencing guidelines. This isn’t justice – it’s a system that clears killers to drive again and again and again. It’s time to introduce automatic lifetime bans for the worst offenders. It costs nothing, it saves lives, it is time to act.”
Sentencing Council rules set the minimum ban for causing death by dangerous driving at five years. Causing serious injury by dangerous driving attracts a minimum ban of two years, even at the highest culpability and harm levels.
Sir Simon Clarke, the director of the Onward think-tank, which carried out the research, said: “It’s outrageous that killers and serial offenders are being handed their licences back like nothing happened. Lifetime bans should be the norm, not the exception.”
Onward’s research highlighted cases including that of Cain Byrne, 20, who – despite never having held a driving licence – ran over and killed an 81-year-old cyclist moments after inhaling laughing gas from a balloon.
He was sentenced earlier this year to 11 years and six months in a young offenders’ institution, and banned from driving for 17 years and eight months.
In another case highlighted, a motorist who ran over a cyclist after the victim spat on his Land Rover during a road rage row was jailed for 18 months and banned from getting behind the wheel for three years.
Nick Cook was left with a broken pelvis, six broken ribs and a punctured liver after the road rage incident. Alan Moult, then aged 74, admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving over the July 2020 confrontation.
Three years ago, the Conservatives toughened sentencing rules for causing death by dangerous driving, with offenders facing life sentences from 2022 onwards.
The current Sentencing Council rules, which judges must obey, say the typical sentence will fall between two and 18 years imprisonment.
A Government spokesman said: “Every death on our roads is a tragedy and we extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of victims.
“There are already tough penalties and rigorous enforcement to crack down on motorists who cause harm to others, including a maximum life sentence for causing death by dangerous driving.
“Courts can hand out a lifetime ban on driving, but the decision is for them to take independently on a case by case basis.”
Play The Telegraph’s brilliant range of Puzzles - and feel brighter every day. Train your brain and boost your mood with PlusWord, the Mini Crossword, the fearsome Killer Sudoku and even the classic Cryptic Crossword.