Correspondence
Dangerous Driving
Antony Porter
Sirs,
The need for a bishop of road safety has never been more acute, with reports of road deaths and injuries now a daily feature of our newspapers. Why do the Christian churches continue to remain silent over these?
Let us take the recent case of a student who killed a pedestrian, a Polish man. He had driven at speed, hurtling the poor man 15 feet into the air and landing him 147 feet away.
The culprit received merely a suspended sentence, allowing him to walk free from the court. Earlier a sympathetic judge had postponed his sentencing to enable him to complete his degree course.
He was eventually fined £520, scarcely a realistic punishment for someone with a powerful sports car. He was not banned from driving but instead ordered to do 250 hours of unpaid work and to complete a 20-day rehabilitation course.
Nobody seems to have considered the effects of all this upon the dead man's family and friends or, indeed, upon us readers. Nor have any recommendations been made to avoid a repeat of the tragedy.
We are told that the youth now suffers from "survivor's guilt". But surviving what? Not being sent to prison? Not being banned? These are some of the issues that need the attention of a bishop.
Antony Porter
London W.9.