Causing Death By Dangerous Driving

[K@mpso]

I heard on the news that some college lecturer was given a 90 day prison sentence for killing 3 people in a road accident - he was reaching for a packet of sweets and lost control of the car.

It was only because one of the victims relatives asked for leniency that the sentence was only 90 days but in normal circumstances it would only be a year or 2 at maximum.

What do people think of this - should there be greater penalties for this or is the fact that the driver has killed someone and that it will be on their minds for a long time sufficient punishment?

Imagine if one of your loved ones had been killed.

[frederick]

Think leniency is required here.This kind of thing could happen to any one of us.Having said that,I would probably feel a bit differently if it were any of my own it had happened to.

[Daz]

Kampso I told the wife about this last nite then it came on the news and we'd a debate about it. Anyone who drives has to admit that it wouldn't be the first time you've took your eyes off the road be that to get a tape, sweets, your phone, whatever, we've all done but been fortunate enough not to have caused an accident.
This man was no doubt careless, he was on the motorway, probably doing about 70 and if u lose control of ur car at that speed, you're not gonna regain control easily. I do feel pity for him, he said he'll never drive again and his life is ruined.
Having said that, of course if that was my family, I wouldn't be saying all this, I'd want to kill the bastard but it's a tough one, the dead aren't the only victims. I thought it was very noble and forgiving of the mother who asked the judge for leniency.

[gary_fletcher]

The thing with this case however is that the other victims family wasn't so forgiving. He may have been trying to get a sweet but as someone mentioned on the motorway there is no time to be messing around with other stuff due to the speeds - i mean yesterday i was messing around with a bag on the passengers seat and the car was wobbling and that was at 30mph, so as seen there is no way he could have controlled it on the motorway - he should have got a longer sentence!

[K@mpso]

Did she not give you a slap gary?? <IMG SRC="smilies/wink.gif" border="0">

[gary_fletcher]

eh mates,less of that <IMG SRC="smilies/rolleyes.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/laugh.gif" border="0">

[Daz]

Thats true the other family weren't so forgiving but I'm just looking at this from a different perspective, imagine ur son was the one that killed those ppl, would u disown him or comfort him?

[gary_fletcher]

I understand what your saying and obviously it wasn't at all deliberate, but i think the sentence should have been say at least 6 months to a year.

[Daz]

I don't disagree with you, at the end of the day it was still manslaughter, ppl have committed lesser crimes and served more time. I think it makes a mockery of the law somewhat do, in this case it was basically the citizen (the mother) at the end of the day who made the decision, the judge just passed the sentence which I assume was the minimum.

[Daz]

Kampso also neglected to mention that the woman killed was pregnant, so it was 4 lives.