Drivers who cause death will be given a life sentence under the legislative changes that came into effect this week.

Judges will be able to give life sentences to drivers who drive dangerously and kill, as well as drivers who kill them under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Currently, the maximum penalty is 14 years in prison.

“Those responsible will now face the prospect of life behind bars,” said Dominic Raab, the justice minister (equivalent to the Brazilian justice minister).

The amendments come into effect as part of the Police, Crime, Penalties and Courts Act.

The new legislation will also make it a crime where reckless driving causes serious injury. Those who cause permanent or long-term injuries in this way will also face more severe penalties.

The proposed law change was first announced in 2017 and took effect on Tuesday, 28/06.

It will apply to offenses in England, Scotland and Wales, but not Northern Ireland, which has its own road safety laws.

Raab added: “Many lives have been lost, with reckless behavior behind the wheel ruining families.”

“The worst drivers on the road are a danger to all of us,” said Steve Gooding, director of the NGO RAC Foundation.

“Those who act by ignoring the risk they identify deserve the harshest punishment when their actions steal the lives of others.”

Gooding said he hopes the threat to life in prison will be enough to change the ways of reckless drivers, the Sunday Express reported.

“Involuntary manslaughter already carries the maximum life sentence, so it’s hard to argue that killing someone by car does not justify a possible sanction of similar severity,” he said.

The British government said it wanted to ensure that “penalties reflect the gravity of the murders and the torture left behind by murderous drivers”.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will continue to charge people with murder or manslaughter when there is evidence that a vehicle has been used as a weapon to kill or cause serious bodily harm.

‘This text was originally published at https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/internacional-61943887.‘