Lawyer Welcomes Call To Increase Road Death Sentences

11/08/2008

A leading West Yorkshire lawyer has renewed calls for stiffer sentences for killer drivers after new Government figures on alcohol-related road deaths were published this week.

The Department for Transport has revealed that 460 people died in 410 alcohol-related vehicle crashes across the UK in 2007. Although the figures show a slight fall, from 560 deaths from 490 accidents in 2006, the overall number of alcohol-related crashes increased by two per cent to 9,620.

Sion Kingston, partner and road traffic specialist at Irwin Mitchell, the UK’s leading personal injury law firm, said the figures underline the need for greater deterrents to lower the number of serious road accidents, whether they involve alcohol or not.

In July, new sentencing guidelines were unveiled, recommending that judges and magistrates consider passing down longer sentences – of at least seven years and up to 14 years – for offences of causing death by dangerous driving.

He said: “There were fewer deaths in 2007 than the year before, but this is clearly more owing to luck than judgement as the number of alcohol-related incidents increased overall.

"People are obviously still drinking and driving – and crashing – and the message needs to be reinforced again and again until drivers understand: Driving in a way that risks others’ lives is not acceptable and our courts must not show leniency.

"We will not see the number of needless killings decrease significantly until there are real deterrents installed – we have new sentencing guidelines in place and these are most welcome, but they must also be enforced as intended."