A campaign set up to increase the penalty for death by dangerous driving has secured a change in the law, nine years after a Bristol couple tragically died at the hands of a disqualified driver.
Ross and Clare Simons were knocked off their tandem bike by Nicholas Lovell in 2013, who had four previous convictions for dangerous driving. Lovell was being pursued by police when he hit the couple in Hanham, the day after they started fertility treatment to start a family.
After admitting the offence, Lovell was jailed for 10 years and six months. He was handed the maximum sentence possible at Bristol Crown Court, but the couple's family said this was still "shockingly low." As a result, Kingswood MP Chris Skidmore, alongside Ross and Clare's family, began campaigning to strengthen the law on dangerous driving.
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Five years ago, the government announced plans to increase the penalty for those who cause death by dangerous driving to a maximum life imprisonment. Speaking at the time, Ross' sister, Kelly Woodruff, told Bristol Live: "We are absolutely thrilled, to be fair. We are really thrilled. This won’t change the sentence for Lovell. There is nothing we can do for Ross and Clare. But we can do something when it comes to future offenders.”
According to Chris Skidmore, the campaign became law this week. Speaking on Twitter, the MP said: "Ross and Clare Simons were killed nine years ago, mown down by a dangerous driver. Together with their families I set up the Justice 4 Ross and Clare campaign to call for the maximum sentence of life imprisonment for death by dangerous driving. This week the campaign became law."
It means drivers who cause death by dangerous driving, or driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, will face life in jail. The maximum sentence for causing death by speeding, racing, or using a mobile phone will be raised from 14 years to life, making the offence equivalent to manslaughter.
A separate offence, causing death by driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs, has also risen from 14 years to life. The measures follow a government consultation over penalties relating to driving-related deaths and serious injuries.
The law change was part of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (PCSC) Act, which received Royal Assent and passed into law yesterday (April 28). A Government statement yesterday confirmed: "Judges will now be able to hand down life sentences to dangerous drivers who kill on our roads."
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