Prison for car texts menaces backed
Saturday 28th February 2009, 8:06PM GMT.
Motorists caught texting on their mobile phones while driving deserve to be sent to prison, one of the Government’s top law officers has told a Midland MP.
Solicitor General Vera Baird QC made her comments in the Commons in response to a suggestion from South Staffordshire MP Sir Patrick Cormack that people who cause death by dangerous or careless driving might be sentenced to community rather than custodial sentences.
Veteran Conservative Sir Patrick said: “Many people who cause death by careless or inconsiderate driving are not of the criminal fraternity.
“Although they should certainly be very severely punished, a community sentence, rather than a custodial one, is very often a better way to punish them.”
Miss Baird replied: “We leave sentencing to judges, within parameters that are set down by Parliament.
“It is a very serious matter to drive a vehicle carelessly. In a number of cases recently, people have been texting while driving cars.”
“Such rashness, carelessness and dangerousness ought to be met with imprisonment,” she said.
Stafford Labour MP David Kidney said: “We should remember cases like the Portuguese lorry driver who ploughed into the back of a car on the M6 and wiped out a family.”
Labour peer Lord Ahmed was jailed for 12 months for dangerous driving this week. He had admitted to texting while driving on the M1 just before being involved in a fatal crash.
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Agree – its becoming an increasing menace
BTW Lord Ahmad was given a 12 WEEK sentence, not 12 months! Please update your article
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I agree. The roads are dangerous enough without idiots texting. Talking on a mobile should be at least 1 year ban.
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PEOPLE USING NON HANS FREE MOBILE PHONES ARE TAKING NO NOTICE OF WARNINGS OF THEIR ILEGAL USE WHILE DRIVING.THESE DANGEROUS ACTIONS OF WHEN IN CONTROL OF A VEHICLE IS HAPPENING ACROSS THE WHOLE COUNTRY.SO THE ONLY SOLUTION TO STOP THIS PROBLEM IS WHEN CAUGHT IN THE ACT IS TO ON THE SPOT COMPOUND THEIR VEHICLES AND TO HAVE A 3 MONTH DRIVING BAN,3 AND POINTS ON THE LICENSE IRRESPCTIVE IF IT MEANS OFFENDERS LOSE THEIR JOBS .
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Driving a car is dangerous enough these days with motorists who do not have a second to wait or go like a bat out of hell to reach their destination, so texting or indeed using a mobile phone whilst driving adds considerably to the danger.
A prison sentence seems somewhat ‘over the top’ but maybe this is what is needed to convince drivers to obey the law and thus prevent unneccessary accidents.
Drivers generally ignore the law whether it be speeding, parking upon footpaths or whatever and a prison sentence could just be the right solution and persuade them to respect others!
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As a predestrian I find it frightening how many people still use their mobiles whilst driving perhaps a custodial sentence may be appropriate as the current 3 points & fine does not appear to be a sufficient deterent.
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How did these people communicate before mobiles?
What is so unbelievably urgent that it must take precedent over paying attention? I am beginning to think that even hands free shouldn’t be allowed given the plummeting standard of driving these days.
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Pete- i agree with everything thats been said here, but don’t lets go to the other side of the coin and ban hands free kits. If that is the case we may as well ban talking passengers and cd players
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I was on the motorway yesterday, and there was a car in front doing about 55 mph, which is low for motorway speeds. it was slightly veering from side to side too, so I overtook it, and guess what the driver was too busy doing? Yep, texting. On the M6..!. Prison may sound harsh, but people like the one ive just mentioned could be one text away from causing a serious crash. These people need to learn before its too late.
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I once saw a driver , on the phone and blatantly reading a newspaper. I was horrified until I realised that the driver was in a German car and that the passenger had a steering wheel. :)
My comments on removing hands free may have been a bit harsh and I see the issue with other distractions. In the past I was a smoker and a couple of times got seriously distracted . My only serious car accident to date (touch wood) was because I was driven in to by a driver I suspect was chatting away to her mother in law.
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