cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/17446339
Drunken driver who snapped photo going 141 mph before deadly collision imprisoned for 17 years
Darryl Anderson was drunk behind the wheel of his Audi SUV, had his accelerator pressed to the floor and was barreling toward a car ahead of him when he snapped a photo of his speedometer. The picture showed a car in the foreground, a collision warning light on his dashboard and a speed of 141 mph (227 kph).
An instant later, he slammed into the car in the photo. The driver, Shalorna Warner, was not seriously injured but her 8-month-old son and her sister were killed instantly, authorities said. Evidence showed Anderson never braked.
Anderson, 38, was sentenced Tuesday to 17 years in prison for the May 31 crash in northern England that killed little Zackary Blades and Karlene Warner. Anderson pleaded guilty last week in Durham Crown Court to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving.
Coming from a country where the max prison sentence is 15 years, except if mentally ill. So maybe culture difference here ahha.
I don’t think you’d get many years for a double murder here, either. I just don’t think it’s a deserved punishment if the precedence for the UK is that you do get 20+ years for a double murder. Personally I would’ve given him 10 years of community service, make him do a public speech at the town square about the dangers of drunk driving and then barred him from ever driving again. Prison just makes people bitter and should be reserved for people who are an active threat to other people which this man presumably wouldn’t be without a driving license.
I’m not sure if the culture is the same in Europe, but just removing a driving lisence is largely ineffective in north America. People are caught all the time driving cars without ever having a lisence, lisence suspended, multiple DUIs. i watched a crazy chase video once and i think the guy had already had 19 DUIs and a small novel worth of other traffic citations. The guy drove down a pedestrian path, hit multiple people, and was let out on a cash bond.
Part of the problem could be in much of North America removal of a drivers lisence is like removal of a persons only means to travel as there is often barely any transit and distances are far to walk due to terrible planning and land use.
Life in the UK isn’t until death either. 16.5 years on average.