New driving law change – how does it affect you?
Are you aware of the new driving law changes? While we hope you made yourselves familiar with them, we have listed the details of the new law change below. We also included a few important reminders to make sure you stay on top of what’s expected of you as a professional driver, and that you are aware of the consequences of not following the driving rules.
The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022
On Tuesday 28th June 2022 The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 came into force with changes to driving law, police powers, criminal justice, and sentencing legislation.
The changes to Road Traffic Offences now include harsher sentences for drivers who kill behind the wheel.
Causing death by dangerous driving is the most serious offence according to section 2B of the Road Traffic Act 1988: “A person who causes the death of another person by driving a mechanically propelled vehicle on a road or other public place without due care and attention, or without reasonable consideration for other persons using the road or place, is guilty of an offence.”
What does this mean to you as a driver? If you cause death by dangerous driving or careless driving under the influence of alcohol, or drugs or by using your mobile while driving, the judges now have the power to sentence you to life in prison. Previously, the maximum penalty they could give was 14 years imprisonment.
It is now also an offence to cause serious injury by careless driving, resulting in harsher sentences for the drivers.
The government wants to ensure “punishments reflect the severity of crimes and the misery killer drivers leave in their wake”.
You can see the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 here. Please pay special attention to Part 5 which includes changes to Road Traffic Offences.
Dangerous driving
You might be aware of the life sentence for causing death on the road. But are you aware of what counts as dangerous and careless driving?
Dangerous driving is putting other road users at risk. Section 2 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 says it’s when “driving falls far below the standard expected of a competent and careful driver and it would be obvious that driving in that way would be dangerous”. The Act also says that “dangerous” means “danger either of injury to any person or of serious damage to property”.
Drink driving, drug driving and using a mobile phone are considered dangerous driving and are offences.
Other examples of dangerous driving are:
- Speeding or racing
- Ignoring traffic lights or road signs
- Overtaking dangerously
- Driving when unfit, e.g. injured or with eyesight problems
- Knowing the vehicle’s faulty or unsafe to drive
- Distracted driving, e.g. reading, looking at a map, tuning a radio or talking to passengers,
- Driving on a hard shoulder reserved for breakdowns.
Careless driving
Is careless driving less serious than dangerous driving? Careless driving is more about disrupting other road users, while dangerous driving puts others at risk of harm.
Road Traffic Act 1988 describes careless driving: “If a person drives a mechanically propelled vehicle on a road or other public place without due care and attention, or without reasonable consideration for other persons using the road or place, he is guilty of an offence”.
While there is no official list of careless driving examples, here are some examples of what counts as careless driving:
- tailgating
- Operating a satnav or reading a map while driving
- Eating or drinking at the wheel
- Smoking and driving
- Overtaking and causing an approaching vehicle or overtaken vehicle to brake
- Not giving way at a junction
- Overtaking and forcing your way into a queue of traffic
Just because careless driving might seem less serious does not mean you will get away with it. There is a range of penalties depending on the seriousness of the offence. To find out more details about penalties for dangerous and careless driving visit this website here.
What is your response?
You are aware of Highway Code, new driving law changes and penalties that come with not obeying the rules. Do you act upon them? Are you a professional driver, minding your own and other road users’ safety whilst on the road? We hope your answer to the above questions is YES.
Please watch the video below. This is an excellent, yet distressing reminder of why you should adhere to the driving rules. They are there for a reason. So please, keep safe.
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