Motorists involved in the most serious cases of causing death by dangerous driving should be jailed for at least seven years, under tougher guidelines.
Such cases could involve persistent bad driving, drink or drugs, the advice for courts in England and Wales will say.
Causing death while reading or writing text messages on a mobile phone should attract a term of up to seven years. Where "momentary inattention" is behind a death, drivers should not be jailed, the Sentencing Guidelines Council said.
It’s about time that the Government came down hard on drivers who kill while under the influence of drink or drugs. But for me they do not go far enough. If you kill some while driving and it is proved that you were under the influence then the charge should be at least manslaughter if not murder.
The Government is also planning on changing the law for young drivers; they want to bring us in to line with other European countries which do not allow drivers under the age of twenty any alcohol in their system. Again this is good but does not go far enough, any driver caught with any alcohol in their system should be prosecuted and be banned from driving for a minimum of 3 years an should be made to retake their test again.
