Drive for Justice reveals fewer driving bans

ROAD safety campaigners have hit out at the courts as The News reveals a huge drop in driving bans.
By The Newsroom
Published 28th Nov 2016, 06:00 BST
Updated 29th Nov 2016, 10:42 BST
The Drive for Justice campaign is lobbying the government to re-work sentencing guidelines so judges can use the powers that exist as well as tackling loopholes and imposing tougher terms for the worst driving offenders on the roadsThe Drive for Justice campaign is lobbying the government to re-work sentencing guidelines so judges can use the powers that exist as well as tackling loopholes and imposing tougher terms for the worst driving offenders on the roads
The Drive for Justice campaign is lobbying the government to re-work sentencing guidelines so judges can use the powers that exist as well as tackling loopholes and imposing tougher terms for the worst driving offenders on the roads

The figures come as part of The News and its sister papers’ campaign, Drive For Justice, which is lobbying for greater use of driving bans when sentencing and longer bans for those who kill or seriously injure

Between 2005 and 2015,the number of bans issued by courts declined from around 150,000 to less than 60,000

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Amy Aeron-Thomas, advocacy and justice manager for RoadPeace, the charity for road crash victims, said: ‘It is very rare that drivers committing offences on the road are sent to prison.

‘It is usually only if they kill someone they are given a prison sentence.

‘For dangerous driving offences that do not result in a death, less than half of offenders go to prison.

‘This is why we think driving bans play such a key role.

‘We think dangerous driving should carry longer bans and judges should never let drivers off.

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‘The fact that there are fewer driving bans being given out rather than more means we are going the wrong way.

‘The more serious offences already carry a driving ban but other bans are discretionary such as with using a mobile phone even though evidence shows it is as dangerous as drink-driving.’

Recent bans handed down include a three-year ban for former child TV star Emily Corrie, 37, then of Twyford Avenue, Stamshaw.

She went on a 100-mile journey to her own hen do, while nearly five times the drink-drive limit. She admitted dangerous driving and drink-driving and was jailed.

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Ms Aeron-Thomas added: ‘We would call for courts to use driving bans much more – short, long and lifetime for the worst offenders.

‘There should be lifetime bans for causing death by dangerous driving and causing death by careless driving while under the influence.’

Duncan Dollimore, senior road safety and legal campaigner for Cycling UK, added: ‘We would like to see more disqualifications and with repeat offenders, much longer bans and the consideration of lifetime bans from driving.’

Sign the campaign petition here.