Nearly 630 drivers who caused fatal collisions have avoided prison in the past five years, despite being found criminally responsible, new figures reveal. Around ten motorists each month are handed community orders, suspended sentences or fines for crashes that result in deaths.
Data from the Ministry of Justice shows that only 25 per cent of motorists go to prison for causing death by careless driving. Of the 1,731 drivers sentenced for fatal crashes between 2020 and 2024, 1,102 were jailed, 417 received suspended sentences, 187 were given community service, 16 were fined, two avoided immediate jail, and seven were granted discharges.
By contrast, around 95 per cent of those convicted of the more serious charge of causing death by dangerous driving are sent to prison. The government recently changed legislation so that those convicted could face a life sentence.
Campaigners Glenn and Rebecca Youens from St Helens, Merseyside, have lobbied for tougher sentences after their four-year-old daughter Violet-Grace was killed by a driver in a stolen car travelling at 80mph in a 20mph zone in 2017. The driver was given a nine-year jail term but was released on licence halfway through his sentence.
Mr Youens said: 'If you are driving unacceptably it is as dangerous as somebody who has gone out with a knife or a gun. If you kill somebody with a car in those circumstances it should be the equivalent of taking somebody's life with a weapon.' His wife added: 'Why should these killers get a second chance at life? My girl didn't even get a first chance.'
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: 'While independent judges decide sentences, we are making sure the courts have the sentencing powers to ensure punishments fit the severity of the crime.'
