Skip to main content

Driving under Influence: Death

Question for Ministry of Justice

UIN 136509, tabled on 12 January 2021

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Government plans to increase to life imprisonment the maximum penalty for people who cause death by dangerous driving and death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs.

Answered on

20 January 2021

As set out in the government’s white paper, A Smarter Approach to Sentencing, published on 16 September 2020, we will be increasing the maximum penalties for causing death by dangerous driving and causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs to life imprisonment. We will also create a new offence of causing serious injury by careless driving.

We will introduce legislation on these changes in the near future.