Darron CharlesworthJudiciary too lenient on death drivers
May 25th 2010 07:56
Category: No Category
It has been reported on ‘Adelaide Now’ that a man has been released with no significant penalty following a fatal car accident is Sydney caused by the man’s inattention. This follows a report from Adelaide several days ago of a partially blind driver acquitted of all charges over the death of a Scooter rider.
These are not isolated incident nor are they anything exceptional or new to the media. In Adelaide several weeks ago charges were dismissed against a man who was intoxicated and blatantly perving on a backseat passenger, not focusing on the road as he should have been. Although it was not this driver’s fault directly his inattention and alcohol consumption may have played a role in not avoiding the collision.
Now I do try not to make personal statements on this kind of issues but it seems to me that this is becoming problematic to say the least. How can judges be so blasé while the police are constantly admonishing drivers for the poor habits and on-road behaviour? This appears to send completely the wrong message.
If there is no accountability why should there be any expectation of responsibility? This is not to say that some road death drivers should not be forgiven. This is true if the driver was not at fault and another party caused the incident. If, though, there is a clear instance of driver negligence, inattention, or general failure to heed the road rules and conditions, then there should be severe penalties.
It is becoming all too common for the courts to belittle the seriousness of vehicular incidents involving the death of another party. With the national road toll remaining far too high there is a real need for drivers to expect some consequences for their actions beyond a judge telling them they should have been paying attention. This does nothing for justice and even less for those left behind.
The penalties are available for magistrates and judges to impose on careless drivers. What they need to do is start making people responsible for their actions. Then, and only then, might the message that driving is a privilege not a right start to sink in. Make it harder to get a license and make it even harder to keep it if you cannot drive responsibly. The Judiciary must stop facilitating these crimes and treat them, and the offenders, with the contempt they deserve.
These are not isolated incident nor are they anything exceptional or new to the media. In Adelaide several weeks ago charges were dismissed against a man who was intoxicated and blatantly perving on a backseat passenger, not focusing on the road as he should have been. Although it was not this driver’s fault directly his inattention and alcohol consumption may have played a role in not avoiding the collision.
If there is no accountability why should there be any expectation of responsibility? This is not to say that some road death drivers should not be forgiven. This is true if the driver was not at fault and another party caused the incident. If, though, there is a clear instance of driver negligence, inattention, or general failure to heed the road rules and conditions, then there should be severe penalties.
It is becoming all too common for the courts to belittle the seriousness of vehicular incidents involving the death of another party. With the national road toll remaining far too high there is a real need for drivers to expect some consequences for their actions beyond a judge telling them they should have been paying attention. This does nothing for justice and even less for those left behind.
| 83 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
