Road Traffic Act 1985 (Amendment) Order 2025

Overview

The purpose of this consultation exercise is to comply with the Council of Ministers Public Engagement and Consultation Principles (October 2017) and to provide an opportunity for the wider consideration of these proposals. This exercise sets out a brief background to the proposed legislation, outlines proposed changes, and poses a series of questions in respect of the proposals.

By way of background, the Isle of Man Courts of Justice recently considered a death by dangerous driving matter and its subsequent appeal. Following consideration of the case there has been a general interest in the level of the punishment for the offence due to differences between the Isle of Man punishments and those in place in the United Kingdom.

This consultation paper will focus on the maximum punishments for the following offences:

1. Causing death by dangerous driving (section 1); and
    
2. Causing death by careless driving when under influence of drink or drugs (section 3A)

which are contained within schedule 6 to the Road Traffic Act 1985.

It is the Departments intention to align the maximum punishments for these offences with the same offences contained in the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 (of Parliament). The UK changed the maximum punishments for these offences in 2022 through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 (of Parliament).

Why your views matter

Increasing the maximum punishments to life imprisonment for these offences will provide the courts with enhanced powers to sentence appropriately for the most serious cases.

In addition to the specific proposals outlined above, the Department welcomes views on any other aspects of road traffic legislation that may be relevant to the offences discussed in this consultation.

We encourage respondents to share any insights, experiences, or suggestions that may help inform future legislative developments in this area.

Reasonable adjustments and alternative formats

The Department is committed to equal opportunities and our aim is to make our documents easy to use and accessible to all.

We will take steps to accommodate any reasonable adjustments and provide such assistance as you may reasonably require to enable you to access or reply to this consultation.

If you would like to receive this document as a paper copy, in another format or need assistance with accessing or replying to this consultation, please email Ian.brooks@gov.im or telephone +44 1624 685901.

Responding to this consultation and questions

You can respond to this consultation online by clicking on the 'Online Survey' link below. Alternatively you can download a paper version of this consultation in the 'Related' section below and email it to Ian.brooks@gov.im