Drivers breaking the law could be ‘immediately banned’ under new calls for a change to avoid lives live being put at risk.
The Road Traffic Unlicensed Drivers Bill, presented by Labour Party MP suggests motorists driving without a valid licence should automatically count as careless driving under the Road Safety Act 1988.
Stone said there is currently ‘dangerous gaps in our legal system’ and hopes the proposed legislation will close that.
As it stands, a anyone without a valid license, should not be behind the wheel of a car, an action which Stone told the House of Commons is ‘putting lives at risk’.
The bill comes following the death of 14-year-old Harry Parker. The schoolboy tragically lost his life in November 2022, reports Birmingham Live.
“This is not just a policy matter. It is about justice, accountability and preventing future tragedies,” Stone told MPs while acknowledging the family. The driver who hit Harry was operating the vehicle without a licence or insurance and failed to stop at the scene.
But in November 2024, all charges against the driver were dropped. “Let me be absolutely clear. This is not an attack on the Crown Prosecution Service or the police. They followed the law as it currently stands, but that is precisely the problem,” Stone explained.
“How can it be that a person can drive illegally, take a life and yet face no legal consequences?” he asked. “We must ask ourselves, how can it be that knowingly operating a vehicle without a licence is not automatically deemed as careless or dangerous driving?” Stone said.
He described the current system as “flawed”. Mr Stone urged Parliament to honour Harry’s memory “with not just words but with action” as he presented the bill.
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