RE: 7 Years Jail For Texting Drivers Who Kill

[peenut]

just realised that had i hit someone yesterday on way home then 7 years inside for me! why? i was composing a text message whenever i stopped at red lights and the handbrake was applied. 3 sets of lights and the text was written and sent safely whilst car was immobile.

however bet your last quid that had i later had an accident the police/CPS would have pulled my phone records and seen a message had been sent whilst i was in transit. oh i'd tell the truth about sending only when stationary at lights, handbrake on etc but in these times of moral panic i fear that would count for naught in my defence.

phone off when i car from now on. its just not worth the hassle let alone the clink time.

[midcuk]

hothaul said:

What about the idiots going round stabbing people,they get less time in jail,seems strange to me,just another anti car policy,dont get me wrong i am not for txt ing while driving,but the motorist is the priority over stabbing,The goverment are a load of blind aholes.GET RID.

ditto on that comment it seems the driver is being victimised again for political reasons.
driving offences no matter what they are seem to get heaftier sentences than any other area of crime. No way do i agree with txting while driving its dangerous but the knife weilding drunken yob down the street who stabs 20 random innocents will probably get a way lesser sentance if any at all. It seems to be just an easy way to bring in funds or boost conviction figures. just look at fraud (i.e white coller) you can get life for that but rob a papershop or something and the sentencing is less.

[skymaster]

Zeeky said:

committed said:

Accidents, no matter how devistating, are brought about by lack of thought (stupidity) & should be addressed by education not vengance.

Is there a level of stupidity which you would regard as criminally culpable or would you reserve prison solely for those who intend harm to their victims?

My view is that dangerous driving should have a custodial sentence available to the courts however the sentences received appear to be similar if not harsher to those received for manslaughter where the defendent intended some harm although not death. These cases are where the defendant is of previously good character and not the career criminals 'committed' refers to.

What should be of more concern for drivers is the creation of the new offence of causing death by careless driving.

A doctor who is careless at work and causes a death might lose his job and will almost certainly be sued but he cannot be subject to criminal proceedings. However when he gets in his car and drives home if his carelessness causes a death he is open to prosecution. The situation is made worse because the level of training he receives to practice medicine is considerable compared with the level of training he receives to drive a car.

Indeed this goes for the rest of use. Why should we be punished for carelessnes causing death in our cars but not in other aspects of our lives?

The Government appear to admit that it is to make the grieving families feel better but why would these families seek punishment of the doctor when he is driving but not when he is working?

Edited by Zeeky on Thursday 17th July 12:52

Indeed, if we did prosecute doctors for every person that died after an operation no one would want to practice as one. A bad doctor has to kill a lot of people before much gets done to remove them from practice.

It just seems like more political nonsense and more twisting of the knife in the poor UK motorist. They hate us driving our private cars around, I guess by banging us up for making an error they can further deter people from driving. Sadly innocent, harmless people will end up rotting in jail as a result of this.

Too much of this gets brought about by pandering to the requests of grieving families. This may come across as harsh but their opinion should not be used to formulate policy. It's 300% raw emotion, 0% reasoning and -100% empathy with the driver who survived and is now in the dock.

[Millionair]

Wow!! 300% eh? that's more emotion than somebody who's only showing 280%... but not as much as somebody showing 360% raw emotion. Don't you wish people would try a little bit harder and show over 400% emotion sometimes?

[Vipers]

peenut said:

just realised that had i hit someone yesterday on way home then 7 years inside for me! why? i was composing a text message whenever i stopped at red lights and the handbrake was applied. 3 sets of lights and the text was written and sent safely whilst car was immobile.

however bet your last quid that had i later had an accident the police/CPS would have pulled my phone records and seen a message had been sent whilst i was in transit. oh i'd tell the truth about sending only when stationary at lights, handbrake on etc but in these times of moral panic i fear that would count for naught in my defence.

phone off when i car from now on. its just not worth the hassle let alone the clink time.

I see what you mean, but I think texting even stationary at lights is an offence, could be wrong of course. I am not saying "You do", but I think a lot of people text because they can, not because they need to. You never used to see folk walking down the road on the phone, or swigging from a bottle of water, which seems to be on the up and up. Almost like a fashion accessory, cant leave home without the bottle of water.......

Edited by Vipers on Friday 18th July 13:45

[Chas-Chiro]

Just another screw up instead of dealing with real crime and real criminal bahviour.

I can mug, beat, rape, commit burglary, be a vandal, cause criminal damage, steal and probably murder someone, and for this I get legal aid and a slap on the wrist. Maybe a little time.

If my phone rings at the wrong time or I send a text just before pulling away I WILL get 14 years or close to it. I have to prove my innocence. Guilty till proven innocent now.

What about the stupid prick that walked out in front of me, or the cyclist with no lights riding the wrong way along a one way street? The person that could not judge my speed and just pulled out causing the mayhem? The Tw*t in the middle lane? The parents letting their kids run into the road without looking?

They and the the other idiots should do the time and the police should do their job properly not ask for new easy to deal with laws.

Texting or using the phone as you drive might be wrong but that is no excuse to not follow up all the other offences which are currently not in the spot light and are continually ongoing and getting worse.