Causing death by dangerous driving

Road Traffic Act 1988, s.1 · Crown Court

Sentencing framework

The sentencing framework for causing death by dangerous driving is structured around assessing the culpability of the offender. The more serious the culpability, the higher the starting point and range of sentences. The guideline specifies statutory and non-statutory aggravating and mitigating factors that influence the final sentence, reflecting the seriousness of the offence and the circumstances surrounding the offender.

Maximum sentence

Life imprisonment for offences committed after 28 June 2022; otherwise 14 years' custody

Court

Crown Court

Starting point

12 years’ custody for Culpability A; 6 years’ custody for Culpability B; 3 years’ custody for Culpability C

Offence range

2 – 18 years’ custody

Aggravating factors

·Previous convictions
·Victim was a vulnerable road user
·Serious injury to one or more victims, in addition to the death(s)
·Driving for commercial purposes
·Driving a goods vehicle, PSV etc
·Other driving offences committed at the same time as the dangerous driving
·Blame wrongly placed on others
·Failed to stop and/or obstructed or hindered attempts to assist at the scene
·Passengers in the offender’s vehicle, including children
·Vehicle poorly maintained
·Offence committed on licence or while subject to court order(s)

Mitigating factors

·No previous convictions or no relevant/recent convictions
·Good driving record
·Actions of the victim or a third party contributed significantly to collision or death
·Offence due to inexperience rather than irresponsibility (where offender qualified to drive)
·Genuine emergency
·Efforts made to assist or seek assistance for victim(s)
·Remorse
·The victim was a close friend or relative
·Serious medical condition requiring urgent, intensive or long-term treatment
·Age and/or lack of maturity (which may be applicable to offenders aged 18-25)
·Mental disorder or learning disability
·Sole or primary carer for dependent relatives
·Pregnancy, childbirth and post-natal care
·Difficult and/or deprived background or personal circumstances
·Prospects of or in work, training or education

Sentencing range explorer

Select the culpability level and harm category to see the guideline's starting point and category range. This is an educational illustration of the published guideline — not a sentence calculation, and not legal advice. Courts apply the full step-by-step process, aggravating and mitigating factors, and the totality principle.

Culpability

Harm

Select a culpability level and a harm category above.

The sentencing process, step by step

Step 1 — Determining the offence category
Step 2 — Starting point and category range
Step 3 — Consider any factors which indicate a reduction for assistance to the prosecution
Step 4 — Reduction for guilty pleas
Step 5 — Dangerousness
Step 6 — Totality principle
Step 7 — Disqualification, compensation and ancillary orders
Step 8 — Reasons
Step 9 — Consideration for time spent on bail (tagged curfew)

Guideline notes

Obligatory disqualification: minimum 5 years with compulsory extended re-test for offences committed after 28 June 2022; otherwise 2 years with compulsory extended re-test.

Always read the full guideline

This is a one-page summary. For any live case, sentencing exercise, or legal advice the authoritative source is the Sentencing Council's own definitive guideline — including the category bands, step-by-step sentencing approach, and all statutory factors not captured here.

Open the full guideline on sentencingcouncil.org.uk

Source: Sentencing Council · Crown copyright, licensed under Open Government Licence v3.0. Summary fetched 2026-06-28. Not legal advice — see a regulated adviser for any live case.