New laws have just come into force in the UK which apply to motorists who cause death as a result of careless driving. The Road Safety Act 2006 has been changed to incorporate distractions such as changing the radio station, applying make-up or eating a sandwich while behind the wheel. It has also been beefed up so that whereas last week someone found guilty of the offense would have been facing a maximum UKP £5000 fine and some driving license penalty points, this week they are facing up to five years in jail.
It gets better, or worse I guess if you are on the wrong end of the judgment stick, if the court should decide that the distraction was both gross and avoidable. Then the charges get ramped up into death by dangerous driving territory and come with mandatory jail time of between 2 and 14 years.
Interestingly, reading or composing text messages constitutes such a gross and avoidable distraction when done over a period of time, although just glancing at a text message would be considered an ordinary distraction.
Listen, if you are stupid enough to text while driving you deserve everything the law throws at you. Especially if you take someone else's life as a result of your own lack of brain cells.
