Drivers face 5 years prison for mobile/sat nav negligence
Author: Chris Barker
Published: 18 August 2008
Today – Monday 18 August 2008 – sees the introduction of tough new prison sentences to crack down on careless UK motorists who continue to flout laws aimed at eliminating the avoidable use of mobile phones and satellite navigation whilst driving.The stark reality of a potential five year stretch in prison comes into force as the ultimate deterrent for British motorists who choose not to obey the blunt message – don’t drive distracted - delivered at the behest of the government’s Ministry for Justice, headed up by ex Home Secretary, Jack Straw.For those that defy the new legislation – being dubbed ‘Careless Driving' - courts, for the first time, will be given the rights to lock up drivers who have been proven by the prosecution not to have paid enough due care and attention to the road, or to other road users, that's said to have led directly to - and resulted in - potentially avoidable fatalities.In the past – and much to the chagrin of victim’s families and penal reform pressure groups – drivers convicted of having caused deaths whilst using their mobile phones or eating – have in many cases literally walked away from court with just a fine – a maximum of £5,000 at most - and points on their driver’s license.Avoidable distractions that courts will be given the rights to act upon include;Using a mobile phone, for either calling or texting.Programming satellite navigation whilst driving.Eating and drinking.The application of make-up.And anything else that’s deemed to have removed the driver’s attention away from the road in the Judge’s estimation.
Uninsured, disqualified and unlicensed UK drivers face tougher custodial punishment
The newly enforced careless driving jurisdiction will also spell trouble for British motorists who continue to drive whilst uninsured, disqualified or unlicensed and are found guilty of causing a death whilst at the wheel of a vehicle.Whilst some critics may still consider the punishment dealt out to these offenders – up to two years imprisonment - as possibly still lenient and unjust given the nature of the crime, there’s no two ways about it, that with up to five years behind bars for those drivers charged with death by careless driving, the tolerance levels are nearing the zero mark.Justice Minister Maria Eagle said: "Drivers who kill through carelessness will no longer be able to walk away from court with just a fine. Neither should uninsured or unlicensed drivers who deliberately flout the law. Driving requires full concentration at all times. A moment's distraction can make the difference between life and death."Official figures for 2007 confirm that the number of people killed on British roads dropped beneath 3,000 for the first time since 1926, the year in which records were initially compiled to measure vehicle-related fatalities.
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