Criminal punishments for dangerous driving should be the same as carrying a weapon, say MPs

• A new report has called for higher maximum sentences for dangerous driving
• Dangerous drivers should be treated the same as those with weapons, it says 

Criminal punishment for dangerous driving should be the same as possessing a weapon because cars have the ‘potential to be lethal’, MPs have warned.

Convictions for dangerous driving can result in a maximum sentence of two years, compared with four years for having an offensive weapon in a public place.

A report by the All Party Parliamentary Group for Walking and Cycling has now called on the Government to bring the sentence for dangerous driving up to four years.

‘In addition to being a very useful tool, a car has the potential to be a lethal weapon,’ the report said.

‘And those who drive dangerously are effectively wielding a lethal weapon.’

The All Party Parliamentary Group for Walking and Cycling, led by Tory MP Selaine Saxby (pictured) and Labour’s Ruth Cadbury, has called for touhger sentences for dangerous driving

The group, which is led by Tory Selaine Saxby and Labour’s Ruth Cadbury (pictured), said it was ‘too common’ to hear of drivers who cause death or injury receiving a low sentence

The group, which is led by Tory Selaine Saxby and Labour’s Ruth Cadbury, said it was ‘too common’ to hear of drivers who cause death or injury receiving a low sentence or penalty.

They also want to see drivers fined and handed points on their licence if they travel at just one mile per hour over the limit.

Motorists are considered to be speeding if they exceed the limit by 10 per cent plus 2mph.

The MPs also want disqualified drivers to be forced to retake their driving tests before being allowed on the road.

Their report said mandatory re-testing should be widened beyond those convicted of dangerous driving to anyone who is punished with disqualification.

It argued: ‘Re-testing can prove an effective way of keeping [dangerous drivers] off the roads and protecting other road users.’

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