Road traffic accidents are a common occurrence on the roads in the U.K. We have all probably witnessed some kind of RTA in our lifetime, whether we became stuck in traffic due to that accident or were an eye witness to it.
There was recently a story in the news when a man was found guilty of causing a road traffic accident, which took the life of a 20-year-old woman. The driver was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving and was sentenced to seven years in prison.
The driver, Mr Brian Redfern, was driving on the A908 in Clackmannanshire, Scotland, when the accident took place. He was racing another vehicle at the time of the accident; this was driven by 21-year-old Craig Lawson. Both vehicles were travelling at a high speed which caused Redfern to hit the on-coming vehicle driven by 20-year-old Rachael Ward.
High Court Judge Lord Tyre stated that the women died as a result of grossly reckless driving, and stated that the crash was inevitable. He stated:
“You indulged in a sustained and deliberate course of very dangerous driving. For some minutes before the fatal collision you had at times been driving well in excess of the speed limit, causing other vehicles to swerve to avoid you. When Mr Lawson overtook you, you increased your speed to make it difficult for him to complete his manoeuvre. The only explanation you have offered for this extremely aggressive behaviour is that you do not like being overtaken.”
As well as being sentenced to 7 years, Mr Redfern was also banned from driving for ten years after the investigation confirmed he was driving under the influence of amphetamines as well as going over 70 mph.
The parents of Miss Ward stated that the sentence could never justify the loss of their only child, and her cousin made the following statement on behalf of the family:
“On 16 January, returning from work, Rachael’s life was tragically and senselessly taken and our nightmare began-a nightmare that will never end as we struggled through each day without Rachael. She did nothing wrong that night but both the other drivers had a part to play in this tragedy and they will have to live with the consequences of their actions as we have to try to live without Rachael. No words can express the devastation this has caused her parents, her boyfriend and the rest of her family and her many friends.”
This is a tragic example of what can happen if drivers on the road fail to show the duty of care they owe to other drivers. Everyone on the roads showed a duty of care when they passed their driving test and they should carry on to show that duty of care throughout their driving life.
