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There is a great danger that frequent traffic offenders will fall back into their old pattern.

In the built-up area of ​​Alblasserdam, two young women were hit at high speed at the end of May, resulting in death. Taken of life by a driver who committed more than 52 traffic violations in recent years, of which at least 12 were very serious. During the substantive session, the Public Prosecution Service demanded ten years in prison and a ten-year driving ban against the 24-year-old suspect for 'double manslaughter'. An exceptional requirement. Hopefully, the judge will make a ruling at the end of October that does justice to the suffering of the relatives and prevents more victims from following.

recklessness

Five years ago, the Victim Support Fund investigated the penalty for reckless driving. In almost no appeal case, recklessness stood as the verdict at the time. That was because the law was not well put together. The Victim Support Fund guided the journey through the legislature to ensure that judges would convict for recklessness. So that recognition is given to the suffering of the relatives of traffic crimes and their need for justice.

The law went into effect in 2020 and the penalty for reckless driving appears to be slowly increasing. It was notable in this study that in more than a third of the traffic offenses investigated in which people were injured or killed, an offender was involved who already had a lot on his plate. And sometimes the accident even caused without a valid driver's license because of a previous conviction.

behavioral monitoring

In criminal law we know the conditional prison sentence, in which the convicted person must adhere to strict conditions and may reintegrate into society under supervision. This is to prevent repetition. This phenomenon is hardly known in the law for traffic offences. In most cases you will be banned from your driving license for a maximum of three years. After that you can simply pick up your driver's license again, after you have shown that you still know how to drive a car.

The driving license seems to be a fundamental right, which is subject to far too few restrictions and supervision for people who leave a trail of destruction. There is a great danger that frequent traffic offenders will fall back into their old pattern. That is unacceptable. Repeat offenders, especially if they have made victims, should not be allowed to drive a car again until experts have determined that driving a car can really be entrusted to them. When they realize that you bear responsibility for others in traffic. The Victim Support Fund strives for improvement.

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