This particular instance is not about a "momentary lapse in concentration" . It is all about several documented instances by the same driver on the same journey carrying out "dangerous" overtakes. The implication being here that he stopped doing so simply because he crashed. had he not crashed his driving would most likely have continued to be dangerous and reckless.
We see so many articles about drivers who admit to "stupid mistake" when what they really mean is "I was caught" and for that I am sorry. Had I not been caught I would still have done it and would have continued doing it. Be it drink driving or dangerous driving.
Somebody has to make a stand. People dying on our roads is no strain on our law makers or enforcers. It is absorbed by the relatives of those who are killed and often lost in their grief.
In my view (and I am sure many will disagree) there is a culture where some people see bad driving as something that they can do and get away with. In the same way that we a culture of people who continue to drink and drive simply because they know that they can get away with it. Kill somebody? Claim it was momentary lapse or a silly mistake. A few months in prison and out you come free to continue where you left off.
Last week in Kent we had a mass outpouring of sympathy for young man who killed himself by crashing his van while three times over the drink drive limit. Witnesses said he had drunk more than six pints of lager before setting off to drive home. Not one challenged about driving. But all stood up and were happy to be quoted claiming it was "tragic" that this one mistake had cost him his life. Fine: Even when it was pointed out to them that it was actually SIX mistakes in terms of drink then a seventh mistake by getting in the car, maybe an eighth mistake by not considering his eight month pregnant wife or anybody who he met on his way home. Police estimate the he drove into a 90 degree bend at 60+ MPH, was not wearing a seatbelt and had been flashed by several passing cars due to his wandering over the road.
But still they stood there and mourned his "momentary lapse". Really? I would guess that this guy (who was drinking in his "Local" did this most nights. This night he was killed. Had he not been he would still be doing it.
I applaud the fact that somebody is making a stand and not simply counting coffins and bemoaning "momentary lapses"
Sorry Bruce , but I have no idea which particular instance you are referring to ? There's nothing in the Brake link at the beginning of the thread , and the one above your post refers to the Harry Clarke incident in Glasgow .
I do agree that persistent offenders , or those whose actions are clearly reckless and deliberate , ought to have the book thrown at them - but there is already provision in law for this .
Regarding 'momentary lapses' , something , if we are all honest , we are all guilty of at some time or another , usually without any serious consequences , I know of one example with tragic repercussions :
A woman , who was a neighbour of my mother , was widowed and lived with her two young children . The story , as far as I understand , was that she was returning home with the children in their child seats in the back when something the children did distracted her ; she turned round to look at the children and , in so doing , veered across the A road into the path of an oncoming vehicle . The woman died in the resulting crash , along with her young daughter , and the little boy was orphaned and ended up going to live with his grandparents .
There is no question that being distracted and turning round to look at a misbehaving child is ill-advised , but what parent hasn't been distracted by their children at some time ? The woman who died was probably a normal , reasonable driver who would never knowingly take risks with her children in the car , but due to a 'momentary lapse' paid the ultimate price , and even worse , so did her daughter .
The victim could just as easily have been a pedestrian , cyclist or occupant of another vehicle - the outcome is just as bad as it gets , but even if that mother had survived , would she have deserved punishment for an error that had caused the death of her child , or could just as easily have been someone else ?
If it is a genuine mistake , such as any of us might make , and which is out of character , then it should not merit harsh sentencing - for most , having to live with the consequences is the greatest punishment , and regardless of court sanctions there is little chance of the mistake being repeated .
I suspect that most road deaths result from tragic mistakes , and not deliberate acts of wanton recklessness .
its just sometimes the execution leaves something to be desired. There are numerous examples of this inadequacy of the law to protect its citizens from the lethal consequences of bad or irresponsible driving. The recent bin lorry crash in Glasgow being a classic example. 
