Quote news
17/10/2011
Car insurance and serious injury caused by dangerous driving
Every year hundreds of motorists put their life, the lives of others, and their car insurance at risk by driving in a reckless manner on UK roads.
Even though the cheapest car insurance quotes are usually reserved for the safest drivers, who pose the least risk to insurers, many road users flout road safety rules by driving dangerously and kill or seriously injure another driver, rider, passenger or pedestrian in the process.
To discourage dangerous drivers, and hopefully reduce the number of severe injuries caused annually in Britain, Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke has announced that the maximum prison sentence for causing serious injury by dangerous driving will be increased from two years to five.
He stated, "We have listened to the victims of dangerous drivers, their families, MPs, judges and road safety groups and their experiences have directly informed these changes.
"Making our roads safer is a priority – five people died on our roads each day last year, so we need to do everything we can to further improve road safety."
The head of road safety at the AA has said of the increased sentence, "Dangerous drivers should face the consequences of their actions. These law changes should make sentences more proportionate to the devastation dangerous driving causes."
Although the prison sentence for causing death by dangerous driving is a maximum of 14 years, many people have thought for a long time that two years in jail for causing someone life-changing injuries was not enough.
"I have been lobbying the government to increase the maximum sentence for dangerous driving since being elected last year on behalf of victims of this very serious crime. It's about time they were put first by this government," Labour MP Karl Turner stated.
Hopefully the change in sentencing for this offence will lead to fewer severe injuries being caused on the road. Furthermore, as a consequence of this, motorists in the UK may find that their car insurance costs are reduced.