Should killer drivers get life sentences?

THE news that killer drivers will face a new tariff of sentencing is many years and innocent lives too late. Lenient sentences deter no one — even a ‘life sentence’ can be as little as five years. The sentence of 14 years for death by dangerous driving has never been implemented, and we have seen drivers kill as many as four people and still walk away from prison after 18 months to two years, along with a paltry three-year driving ban. The real life sentence is served by the loved ones of the victims. DEREK STOCKER, Bexhill, E. Sussex. WHILE I welcome higher penalties for some motoring offences, I am concerned about the proposed new offence of causing serious injury by careless driving. Sentencing should just take into account a person’s actions that lead up to the collision, not the consequences. I am a former traffic cop who has dealt with many serious collisions. Imagine having a collision with a modern car with safety features such as a crumple zone and air bags. No one suffers significant injuries and no legal action is taken. However, if you had a collision with a classic car driven by an elderly gent who, due to the lack of safety features, suffers serious injuries, you could be prosecuted under the new offence.

ANDY CULLEY, Weymouth, Dorset. THE proposed offence of causing serious injury by careless driving is a flawed piece of legislation. It would lead to unjust sentences. An excellent driver may make one minor error that results in a serious accident and up to two years in prison, while a poor driver may be fortunate to avoid such an event. Safer roads can be achieved through better driver training and more effective law enforcement. NORMAN JONES, Colwyn Bay, Conwy. CONGRATuLATIONS on the campaign to get harsher penalties for drivers who kill and injure while using their mobile phones. I hope it doesn’t go the same way as penalties for knife crime. If it does, you will have to run another campaign to get the penalties imposed and not put on the back burner.