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Causing serious injury by dangerous driving

s.1A Road Traffic Act 1988 · Crown Court / Magistrates

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Sentencing framework

This guideline provides a structured framework for sentencing individuals convicted of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. Sentencing involves a careful evaluation of both the offender's culpability and the harm caused, leading to determinations on starting points and ranges for sentences. Aggravating and mitigating factors are taken into account to ensure that appropriate sentences are imposed based on the specifics of each case.

Maximum sentence

5 years’ custody

Court

Crown Court / Magistrates

Starting point

3 years’ custody

Offence range

26 weeks – 5 years’ custody

Aggravating factors

  • ·Previous convictions
  • ·Victim was a vulnerable road user
  • ·Driving for commercial purposes
  • ·Driving a goods vehicle
  • ·Other driving offences committed at the same time
  • ·Failed to stop and/or obstructed attempts to assist at the scene
  • ·Passengers in the offender’s vehicle
  • ·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 contributed significantly to collision
  • ·Offence due to inexperience rather than irresponsibility
  • ·Genuine emergency
  • ·Efforts made to assist or seek assistance for victim(s)
  • ·Remorse
  • ·Serious medical condition requiring urgent treatment

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

  1. Step 1 — determining the offence category
  2. Step 2 — starting point and category range

Guideline notes

  • The court must request and consider a pre-sentence report before forming an opinion of the sentence unless it considers that it is unnecessary. Custodial sentences must not be imposed unless the offence was so serious that neither a fine nor a community sentence can be justified.

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.