Drivers who kill while reading or texting could face up to seven years in jail under new guidelines, it has been reported. The Sentencing Guidelines Council, which is chaired by the Lord Chief Justice, has recommended that judges and magistrates hand out the tougher penalties.
Very serious cases, where drugs, alcohol or persistent bad driving are involved, could warrant a jail term of up to 14 years, the council said. A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said: ‘Ensuring drivers who cause death on our roads through bad driving are suitably punished is essential if justice is to be done.’
Ministers now want to see the two new offences – causing death by careless driving and causing death while unlicenced, disqualified or uninsured – pushed through as soon as possible. The council said it wanted to send a ‘clear message’ to those who text while driving that it will not be tolerated.
The new guidelines will be imposed on offenders sentenced on or after August 4 on existing offences. The guidelines state that if someone causes a death while texting or if they are distracted by a phone it will be treated as a ‘higher level of seriousness’ and they will face up to seven years behind bars.
Peter Neyroud, a council member, said of the new guidelines: ‘This has been welcomed by those representing families and friends of victims…There will be more custodial sentences and community sentences.’
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