A new joint report published today by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cycling and Walking (APPGCW) and the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Transport Safety (APPGTS) warns that the justice system’s response to fatal road crashes is failing bereaved families and outlines some key recommendations aimed at improving outcomes and road safety.
The report comes as the Government is urged to provide detail of its upcoming Road Safety Strategy, the first in over ten years. Every death on the road is a tragedy and should be taken seriously, both to ensure that the families and friends of victims feel that justice is done, and to learn lessons to improve road safety for the future. This report represents an important initial step in increasing understanding and transparency of the criminal justice process following road deaths.
The inquiry, ‘Behind the Headlines: Sentencing After Fatal Crashes’, examined over 200 cases across England and Wales and found that while sentencing guidelines are generally followed, potential inconsistencies in charging decisions and court practices mean that some dangerous drivers are not being held properly to account for their actions.
Fabian Hamilton MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Cycling & Walking said:
“If someone has taken a life through dangerous driving, we have to ask: why should they ever be allowed to drive again? Too many repeat offenders show open contempt for the punishments handed down by our courts and yet we still hand the keys back.
‘’It’s time we treated driving as the privilege it is, not a right without consequence. Lifetime bans and electronic tagging should be on the table to protect the public and make sure those who have already proved they can’t be trusted behind the wheel play by the rules.”
Andy Macnae MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Transport Safety said:
“Every road death represents a devastating loss, and yet our justice system too often compounds that tragedy with delays, lenient outcomes, and a failure to hold dangerous drivers fully to account.
This report shines a light on the urgent need for reform. It’s unacceptable that drivers who take lives through recklessness are allowed back on the roads while grieving families are left without a sense of justice.”
A RoadPeace representative, from the national charity for road crash victims, said:
“Every day we hear from families whose lives have been shattered by dangerous drivers – and who then face a justice system that too often fails to recognise the gravity of what’s happened. Losing a loved one in a road crash is not an ‘accident’; it’s a life taken, and the response should reflect that.
“We welcome this report’s call for reform. Families deserve a process that delivers real accountability and lasting change. Stronger sentencing, lifetime driving bans for repeat offenders, and consistent investigation standards would not only deliver justice, but also help prevent other families from experiencing the same heartbreak.”
(Pic: APPGCW and APPGTS)
