UK A34 crash lorry driver jailed for killing family while on phone

Comhrá

The UK authroties don't mess around with micky mouse sentences, do they?

http://news.sky.com/story/a34-crash-lorry-driver-jailed-for-killing-family-while-on-phone-10639721

gctest50

wtf was he doing anyway ? there was another truck stopped in front, not just one car



https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2083113/video-dash-campolish-lorry-driver-who-killed-mum-and-three-kids-while-he-changed-music-on-his-phone-is-jailed/

coolbeans

Self righteous as this sounds, the vast majority of motorists don't take driving seriously enough. It's become an entitlement rather than a privilege and people fail to recognise what a big responsibility driving any vehicle is. The rampant use of mobile phones is evidence of this.

irishgrover

honestly, if he was in this country and pissed drunk he sentence would have been less

Isambard

i'm embroiled in an argument on a UK site saying the sentence wasn't severe enough!

punisher5112

For a offence as such it is a very good sentence but of course not enough for how many lives were taken and ruined.

If it were here he would be extremely better off as he wouldn't see 4 years of a cell.

These things need to be taught from an early age and from what I see every day absolutely beaten into people.

R.I.P to all that died and condolences to all close.

Isambard

the lesson that needs to be learnt here is to end the menace of phone usage whilst driving.

Del2005

coolbeans wrote: »

Self righteous as this sounds, the vast majority of motorists don't take driving seriously enough. It's become an entitlement rather than a privilege and people fail to recognise what a big responsibility driving any vehicle is. The rampant use of mobile phones is evidence of this.

Doesn't help in this country that the people who enforce the law are the worst offenders, they might be exempt from road traffic law but they aren't from the laws of nature/physics and phone use while driving is never safe.

Edit... Just to ad TV and film have a lot of blame too. They constantly show people using hand held phones, Ice Road Rescue had a person on the phone and drinking a can while driving a heavy rescue wagon on icy roads in a storm.

ShadowHearth

Del2005 wrote: »

Doesn't help in this country that the people who enforce the law are the worst offenders, they might be exempt from road traffic law but they aren't from the laws of nature/physics and phone use while driving is never safe.

Edit... Just to ad TV and film have a lot of blame too. They constantly show people using hand held phones, Ice Road Rescue had a person on the phone and drinking a can while driving a heavy rescue wagon on icy roads in a storm.

People being stupid in general - yes. Blaming TV for it... Its a bit of a stretch. Its like blaming video games for violence.

Nice to see proper sentence for a change. Not like here in Ireland: "He had 150 convictions already and now he will be in big trouble! Off road for 6 months and 80eu fine!"

joujoujou

10 years for 4x murder? FFS.

punisher5112

joujoujou wrote: »

10 years for 4x murder? FFS.

I am in no way sticking up for the guy but he didn't go out that day shouting or intending on killing people.

Its a very sad outcome for a very stupid act and decision.

gctest50

punisher5112 wrote: »

I am in no way sticking up for the guy but he didn't go out that day shouting or intending on killing people.
...........

.

http://imgur.com/vcY373n

Just an hour earlier he had signed a declaration to his employer, promising he would not use his phone at the wheel.

Uriel.

gctest50 wrote: »

.

http://imgur.com/vcY373n

That doesn't change the intent or the crime.

Anyway, thejournal.ie has the clip of impact from the POV of the dashcam cabfacing and road facing... Horrific stuff.

The footage is included in a 4 minute clip from the Police with interview snippets from the relatives. Heartbreaking stuff.

The video needs to be given a prime time airing, like during the late late show or some other popular show so people can see the the devastation that recklessness and stupidity can have horrific consequences in just a split second.

Blazer

gctest50 wrote: »

.

http://imgur.com/vcY373n

Most people would take that to mean no phone calls.
Then again most people are dumb as fcuk.

RandomAccess

On my drive to work in the morning everyones nose is buried in their phone, less so in the evening.
I've grumbled to female co-workers I've seen buried in their phones, and they just put on a naughty face and say "I know, I'm always doing it, my boyfriend is always giving out to me.. giggle haw haw haw"

Great ****ing attitude there.

Then one of them had a big smash recently and suddenly she's really conscious of it now and won't use her phone because she wouldn't be paying attention.. She's seeing danger everywhere. (As it happens the accident was not her fault, but it took it to happen to knock sense into her)

Bottom line is, there is no enforcement and it shows.

The Backwards Man

It's crazy how many people are doing it, no joke I'd say a good 40% of drivers, absolutely the most dangerous thing you can do on the road, even the dickhead that's full out of his brain is watching all the roads he sees in front of him.


If you use your phone, you're worse than that dickhead.

Spanish Eyes

I don't know how the use of mobile phones will ever be stopped while driving.

They are such a distraction and seem to be so absolutely necessary these days.

What an awful tragedy. Probably replicated left right and centre everywhere now.

Drink driving and speeding were once the demons. Now??

kirving

Not that you should have to, but when stopped or slowing on the in motorway traffic, keep plenty of space to the car in front, keep an escape route clear, and an eye in your rearview mirror. Tapping the brake pedal when stopped and hazards is also helpful.

Took getting rear ended twice (not me driving either time) for me to to it, but I actively try to do the above on a motorway whenever I can.

average_runner

Using a mobile phone is like drink driving. You know the risks so do the time

The Backwards Man

Kevin Irving wrote: »

Not that you should have to, but when stopped or slowing on the in motorway traffic, keep plenty of space to the car in front, keep an escape route clear, and an eye in your rearview mirror. Tapping the brake pedal when stopped and hazards is also helpful.

Took getting rear ended twice (not me driving either time) for me to to it, but I actively try to do the above on a motorway whenever I can.

Aye, great advice, I'd probably be as guilty as the next person of neglecting my mirrors but when stuck in slow-moving traffic I'm glued to them.

Not much help if a dickhead in a forty tonner comes barrelling into you though, you haven't many places to go

gctest50

Kevin Irving wrote: »

Not that you should have to, but when stopped or slowing on the in motorway traffic, keep plenty of space to the car in front, keep an escape route clear, and an eye in your rearview mirror. Tapping the brake pedal when stopped and hazards is also helpful.
Took getting rear ended twice (not me driving either time) for me to to it, but I actively try to do the above on a motorway whenever I can.

They only got one go :

http://i.imgur.com/aCStzuj.jpg

neris

The Backwards Man wrote: »

Not much help if a dickhead in a forty tonner comes barrelling into you though, you haven't many places to go

Not all dick heads on the road drive 40 tonners so give over with the sweeping generalisations

Blatter

Is there anything other than 'bad luck' that separates this guy with the lorry driver on the road caught looking at his phone but avoids a fatal accident?

One guy getting a fine/ban whilst the other gets 10 years behind bars doesn't sit right with me. MUCH stricter punishments for anybody caught looking at a phone whilst driving needs to be brought in.

Comhrá

Without being sexist, I walk near a major junction most evenings and when the traffic is stopped at the lights, most of the young women driving home from work are looking down at their phones the moment they come to a stop.

I mean, it's laughable..... no-one seems to give a toss and it's a great example of how younger drivers, many of them fairly recently qualified, have zero regard for the law or rules of the road.

It seems to be fairly low priority with the guards too. Has anyone ever seen a motorcycle Garda parked at a busy junction watching for phone-peepers? No? Neither have I.

RandomAccess

tippman1 wrote: »

Without being sexist, I walk near a major junction most evenings and when the traffic is stopped at the lights, most of the young women driving home from work are looking down at their phones the moment they come to a stop.

I mean, it's laughable..... no-one seems to give a toss and it's a great example of how younger drivers, many of them fairly recently qualified, have zero regard for the law or rules of the road.

It seems to be fairly low priority with the guards too. Has anyone ever seen a motorcycle Garda parked at a busy junction watching for phone-peepers? No? Neither have I.

I would agree that it is mostly women that do that, and certainly they are constantly bobbing up and down and glued to the screen.
Also I would say that I've seen a lot of Male delivery drivers often in HGVs on the phone (actually talking on them).

In the UK they have some unmarked Police motorbikes which catch drivers and ticket them. I think its the only way to deal with it really.

punisher5112

Another way they catch is when its way too late and a collision has occurred where they investigate phone itself and was it in use.

The Backwards Man

neris wrote: »

Not all dick heads on the road drive 40 tonners so give over with the sweeping generalisations

For sure, my Dad drove one for forty years, I drove one myself for a while, but there's a few dickheads driving them the same as driving everything else.

fullstop

neris wrote: »

Not all dick heads on the road drive 40 tonners so give over with the sweeping generalisations

It's not really a sweeping generalisation, is it? You stand a much better chance of surviving being rear ended by a 1 tonne car than you do being read ended by a 40 tonne truck, so give over with the attitude.

Sam Quentin

That dash cam vid is going to save lives!?

Golfgorfield

irishgrover wrote: »

honestly, if he was in this country and pissed drunk he sentence would have been less

Not if it was in Naas court...... Ol Zaidan would have him on the death penalty, and rightly so.

Dravokivich

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

I don't know how the use of mobile phones will ever be stopped while driving.

They are such a distraction and seem to be so absolutely necessary these days.

What an awful tragedy. Probably replicated left right and centre everywhere now.

Drink driving and speeding were once the demons. Now??

The driver.

Thinkingaboutit

Even a dash mounted phone cradle is an improvement, and those cost almost nothing, and even a decent blue tooth setup costs little enough, well far less than a tragedy.

joujoujou

punisher5112 wrote: »

I am in no way sticking up for the guy but he didn't go out that day shouting or intending on killing people.

[...]

I'm aware my opinon I'm gonna present now looks abit extreme, but I will express it anyway, let's go:

He knew what would happen (and happened!) in case of being on the phone while driving. And nobody would ever say he unwillingly used his phone - he did that deliberately, so that's clear - it's a murder, and should be treated as such.

Dravokivich

joujoujou wrote: »

I'm aware my opinon I'm gonna present now looks abit extreme, but I will express it anyway, let's go:

He knew what would happen (and happened!) in case of being on the phone while driving. And nobody would ever say he unwillingly used his phone - he did that deliberately, so that's clear - it's a murder, and should be treated as such.

No it isn't. Murder requires a motive/intent to be established. The deaths however wrongfully they may be, were not a result of murder, but of manslaughter.

Uriel.

joujoujou wrote: »

I'm aware my opinon I'm gonna present now looks abit extreme, but I will express it anyway, let's go:

He knew what would happen (and happened!) in case of being on the phone while driving. And nobody would ever say he unwillingly used his phone - he did that deliberately, so that's clear - it's a murder, and should be treated as such.

Well, you are wrong it is not murder. In its simplest form, one part of the murder equation is intent. I doubt the driver intended to kill those people and the prosecution/court didn't find that to be the case.