Some proper sentencing?

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icowden

Veteran
Location
Surrey
She's one of hundreds with heart-breaking accounts and injuries but the system is not geared up to properly deter or punish drivers.

I'm not sure I totally agree with that statement. There are appropriate sentencing guidelines in place for causing death by careless or dangerous driving, with a custodial sentence of up to 14 years in prison.

Where I would agree with Imogen is that there is a gap between Dangerous Driving and Causing Death by Dangerous Driving, in that if you almost kill someone or severely injure someone, there is no difference between that and injuring no-one. The maximum sentence for Dangerous Driving is 2 years. I think there was talk of bringing in a charge of Causing Serious Injury by Dangerous Driviing with a maximum sentence of 5 years, but I'm not sure that it got enacted.
 
It also boggles my mind that so many people flatly refuse to accept that using your mobile is a 'distraction' at the wheel.
I think it's a case of knowing intellectualy that it's dangerous behaviour, but not really engaging with it or seeing what the potential impact is, after all everyone else does it and no-one they knew has ever had anything bad come of it, so it can't be that bad... until it is.

Like the same people who swore they wouldn't get covid right until they got it.
 

icowden

Veteran
Location
Surrey
I think it's a case of knowing intellectualy that it's dangerous behaviour, but not really engaging with it or seeing what the potential impact is, after all everyone else does it and no-one they knew has ever had anything bad come of it, so it can't be that bad... until it is.

Yep. This is why it doesn't matter how heart wrenching the story is from the person who wants "tougher sentences", there is just no evidence that tougher sentences are in any way a deterrent. This is modelled perfectly for us by the US Justice system. That "Death penalty" they have in some states - hasn't reduced the murder rate.
 
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