The man who caused Rebecca's death had 89 previous convictions

The family of girl from the north-east of England are joining a national campaign petitioning Parliament to tighten road laws.

Six-year-old Rebecca Sawyer, was killed when her family's car was hit by a banned driver at the wheel of a stolen car.

Ian Carr, 27, from Ashington, was sentenced to nine-and-a-half years in prison after admitting causing death by dangerous driving.

The Sawyer family had been returning to their home in Ashington on New Year's Eve 2002, when Carr's vehicle rammed their car.

On Tuesday the Sawyer family will deliver a petition of more than 58,000 signatures to the Home Secretary, David Blunkett, at the Houses of Parliament.

The family has joined a campaign by charity Brake, asking Mr Blunkett to introduce the possibility of a life sentence for dangerous drivers who kill, when there are "aggravating factors".

Backbench support

Those factors will include driving whilst disqualified, unlicensed, or uninsured; failing to stop for the police; driving whilst under the influence of drink and/or drugs; having no insurance; and driving a stolen vehicle.

Carr, who was driving a stolen vehicle, already had 89 previous convictions for driving offences.

The family's MP, Denis Murphy, is supporting their campaign with an early day motion, along similar lines, which encourages backbench MPs to show their support for the proposals.

The Home Office has already announced that it plans to increase the current maximum penalty for causing death by dangerous driving from ten to 14 years' in prison, following a public consultation on road traffic penalties in 2000.

Carr had 89 previous convictions, including being given 12 months' youth custody after being found guilty of causing the death of another youngster in 1990.