Drivers who kill at the wheel are to face longer jail terms under new proposals announced by the government.

Dangerous driving kills and those found guilty can expect to be severely punished

Bob Ainsworth, Home Office minister

The maximum penalty for causing death by dangerous driving is to rise from 10 years to 14.

Drivers caught using mobile phones behind the wheel could be given points on their licence, under a clamp down on careless driving.

But the government has stopped short of making mobile phone use while driving a specific criminal offence.

Speeding offences

Home Office Minister Bob Ainsworth said the message of the new penalties was "dangerous driving kills and those found guilty can expect to be severely punished".

Under the proposed changes, people convicted of lesser offences, such as careless driving, speeding, and driving while uninsured could face community sentences rather than a fine if this is thought to be a "more powerful sanction".

Drivers who use mobiles could face tougher penalties

A new two tier fixed penalty system for speeding offences will also be introduced - with a higher penalty for more serious offences.

Disqualified drivers will get a chance to earn remission if they take up a offer of "driver retraining and improvement".

They would pay for it themselves, but could get three points removed, or see their ban reduced by a fifth if they're successful.

The changes follow a review of traffic penalties, carried out over the last 18 months ago.

Ministers say a bill will be introduced "as soon as parliamentary time allows", suggesting it could form part of the Queen's Speech in the autumn.

'Zero tolerance'

Reacting to the announcement, Kevin Delaney, the RAC Foundation's traffic and road safety manager, said: "We would support increasing maximum sentences for people who cause death by dangerous driving."

The public do not seem to be accepting that using mobile phones while driving is wrong

Rospa

But he said the RAC Foundation did not want the new two-tier speeding system to be "a way of introducing zero tolerance on speeding".

The AA welcomed the new dangerous driving penalties but said it wanted "more consultation" on speeding.

'Disappointed'

Chairwoman of road traffic victims' group Roadpeace, Zoe Stow, said the reforms were a step in the right direction.

But she said they did not address the fact that the charges applied to motoring deaths needed a fundamental review.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, welcomed the changes but said it was "disappointed" that using mobile phones while driving was not to be a criminal offence.

"The number of people who do make calls while driving justifies such an offence, which would help make it crystal clear that this is not safe.

"The public do not seem to be accepting that using mobile phones while driving is wrong," a spokesman said.