The report describes research carried out as part of a study commissioned by the Road Safety Division of the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions. Following the Road Traffic Law Review (commonly known as the North Report) in 1988 a number of legislative changes were made, reflecting concerns about the way in which motoring offences were dealt with by the criminal justice system. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effect of the 1991 Road Traffic Act on the prosecution of dangerous drivers and to examine criticisms of current legislation and practice. It investigates the criteria being used to determine the charges and sentences for those drivers. The report explores the extent to which the criminal justice system, in implementing the 1991 Road Traffic Act, has achieved the aims intended by the North Report and the subsequent legislation. The research identified concerns that the aims of the legislative changes have not been fully realised. A number of changes in legislation and procedures have been suggested by individuals and representatives of agencies invited to contribute to the research; the report describes and evaluates these suggestions. Areas of concern in the prosecution and conviction of dangerous drivers are identified and examined. (Author/publisher)
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