Life time driving ban for some offences

[Slow.Patrol]

Should it be an option for certain serious driving offences to attract a life time driving ban?

Kill or seriously injure someone with your car because you drove like an idiot, drunk or under the influence of drugs and you will never get behind a wheel again.

Too harsh?

Would it be a deterrent?

[heebeegeetee]

No, I don't think it would be a deterrent, I think it would just lead to an increase in unlicensed and uninsured drivers on the road.

[RacingStripes]

Given life isn't life when you deliberately murder someone then no.

[Doofus]

heebeegeetee said:

No, I don't think it would be a deterrent, I think it would just lead to an increase in unlicensed and uninsured drivers on the road.

The likelihood is that they're already unlicensed and uninsured, so it probably won't.

[agtlaw]

Slow.Patrol said:

Should it be an option for certain serious driving offences to attract a life time driving ban?

Kill or seriously injure someone with your car because you drove like an idiot, drunk or under the influence of drugs and you will never get behind a wheel again.

Too harsh?

Would it be a deterrent?

A lifetime ban is already an option for any offence that carries a discretionary disqualification. E.g. Speeding (at any speed) has a potential lifetime ban.

I assume you mean an obligatory lifetime ban for some offences?

Note that if a lifetime ban is imposed then the offender can apply to the court for the disqualification to end early. Remove this provision?

[Mr Tidy]

Doofus said:

heebeegeetee said:

No, I don't think it would be a deterrent, I think it would just lead to an increase in unlicensed and uninsured drivers on the road.

The likelihood is that they're already unlicensed and uninsured, so it probably won't.

That's my take on it too - they aren't going to take any notice.

[tigger1]

Sadly I don't think a lifetime ban would change much. The prospect of lengthy bans doesn't seem to act as much of a deterrent now - folk just cry "mitigating circumstances" (I'd do away with that option first...) when they get caught for a 5th/6th time (once speed awareness courses are taken into consideration)

I do think it should also be harder to re-acquire a licence following certain bans (along the lines of proper psychiatric testing - suitability to drive - for those banned for dangerous driving offences), and I think the punishment for being caught driving when banned / without having properly regained licence should be very severe.

[agtlaw]

Sentencing council:

“Lifetime disqualifications will be rare, in particular because of the increased risk of breach and the possibility of hindering rehabilitation prospects. Lifetime disqualifications will generally be inappropriate unless there is:
psychiatric evidence and/or
evidence of many previous convictions
indicating that the offender would be a danger to the public indefinitely if allowed to drive.”

[Austin Prefect]

Suppose someone has a ban with a requirement to retake and pass their test before regaining a full licence. If they drive after the ban has expired, without having passed their test and on a provisional without L plates or supervision. Is that regarded as equivalent to driving while banned or more like a learner unsupervised?

[Yellow Lizud]

Instead of just banning bad driving for a certain length of time, their licence should be revoked, i.e. back to L plates and they have to pass their test again before they can drive.
I realise this could just put more unlicensed drivers on the road but it might make some people think about it a bit more if they had all the hassle and cost of another test instead of just a driving break for a year or so.

Then make driving without a licence MUCH more serious.