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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hamp ... 650966.stm

Man jailed over death race crash

A driver who caused the death of a fellow motorist as he raced him along a country road with his two children in his car has been jailed for five years.

Michael Harris, 45, from Fair Oak, raced Kenneth Harding, 69, along the B2177 near Bishop's Waltham, Hants, in June 2004.

With his children, aged eight and 14, in the back, Harris raced Mr Harding before the telegraph pole crash.

He admitted death by dangerous driving at Winchester Crown Court on Monday.

Harris, driving a Subaru Impreza, had come across Mr Harding, who was driving an MG sports car, on the 1 June last year and the pair were seen racing each other like "idiots", a policewoman said.

Driving ban

Witnesses described how Harris' driving was "ludicrous and suicidal" in the moments before the accident.

After the crash Harris did not stop and turned around telling his children to keep quiet about what had happened.

He later went to police, but told them he had stopped racing Mr Harding before he crashed into the telegraph pole.

Harris pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving. He was jailed for five years and given a 15-year driving ban.

Police discovered from his car computer that the vehicle had been travelling up to 138 mph.

The police spokeswoman said the figure was backed up by Harris' son who said the car's speed had reached 135 to 140mph on the 60mph limit road.

In a statement, Mr Harding's family said they were pleased with the sentence.

It read: "Knowing Ken we were never in doubt that the statement given by Mr Harris was nothing but lies.

"His reckless driving caused the death of a kind and gentle man who had an impeccable driving record.

"We were horrified to hear how Mr Harris had been driving, especially as his children were in the car."
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There seems to be a rather ugly double standard here. I presume the evidence of his death makes the standard of driving of the dead driver even worse...

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

It really is quite odd actually, the summing up at the end of the article is seemingly completely at odds with the rest of the story.


Presumably excepting those occasions where he was racing another driver and crashed?

Not that any of this takes away from the fact that the driver jailed pretty much deserves the sentence, of course, but the double standards are pretty glaring and need commenting on, IMO.

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Carl Prescott

It Is Sad They both Should have Know Better I think, And One paid The Ultimate price!

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RoADA Member -GOLD 2008
If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there.

perhaps he does but not for the reasons he got it.

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The B2177 is a great stretch of road, I should know, it was the very first road on which I had a 'spirited' drive (I made sure no-one else around) - that's a sobering thought given this tragedy.

However, I think DbDD really should not apply here (DD may be more appropriate). The ‘unfortunate’ driver of the MG made a decision to race, he was not forced; hence he caused his own death through his (lack of) judgement and driver error.

I’m relieved to hear the innocents survived the incident – but think of the consequences if the children became a distraction

I feel DbDD seems the wrong charge for the same reasons - some sort of charge of endangering his own children was needed too IMHO

(Sorry to get all "will somebody think of the children")

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