Increase the sentence for failure to stop after a fatal road traffic collision

My brother, Andy Lindup, was killed in a hit and run in Dec 2016. By the time the driver was arrested, it was too late to breathalyse him and gather evidence for a charge of dangerous driving for which he could have faced up to 14 years in prison. Instead he got just 6 months for failure to stop.

The sentence for failing to stop after a fatal road collision must be made equal to the maximum sentence for death by dangerous driving. Otherwise, there is absolutely no incentive for drivers to stop. Why would anyone stop if they knew they could face 14 years as opposed to just 6 months? My family will never know if the driver who killed my brother was under the influence or not. If he wasn’t, maybe he would have stopped if the law was different. If he was, then the law has let him escape justice. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5168331/Family-man-killed-hit-run-call-law-change.html

We were very sorry to hear of the distressing circumstances when Mr Lindup was killed by a driver who failed to stop at the time and our sympathies are with his family and friends. Not knowing whether, in the absence of any evidence, the offender may have faced a higher penalty must be upsetting and that in the circumstances the offender could only be charged with the lesser offence of failing to stop.

Under Section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 drivers who cause personal injury or damage to another vehicle or property must stop and, if required, give their name and address, the name and address of the owner of the vehicle and any identification marks of the vehicle. If the driver does not give their name and address they are obliged to report the accident to the police as soon as reasonably practicable and in any case within 24 hours. A driver is liable to report even if they were not at fault. Failure to comply with these requirements is an offence which carries a maximum penalty of 6 months' imprisonment.

Failure to stop and report offences are often referred to as “hit and run” but in the vast majority of cases convictions for failing to stop are for low level traffic offences. In 2017 3,441 convictions for failure to stop and report offences involved low level traffic incidents where, for example, a driver clipped the wing mirror of another vehicle in a narrow street. This type of offending is reflected in current sentencing practice and by far the most common sentence for this offence is a fine.