States backs lifetime ban for hit-and-run drivers

Jersey politicians have unanimously backed a proposal to slap a lifetime ban on hit-and-run drivers.

Deputy Catherine Curtis proposed the creation of a new offence under the Road Traffic (Jersey) Law 1956 for failing to stop and report an accident following a serious or fatal injury.

The proposition requested penalties for an offence included, but were not limited to, a lifetime driving disqualification.

Curtis said a lifetime driving ban would stop dangerous drivers from getting back on the road and possibly hurting someone else.

The current penalties for causing death by dangerous driving, introduced in 1997, include a maximum of 10 years' imprisonment and a minimum of two years' driving disqualification.

In December 2024 Dylan John Pounds, 29, was jailed for 15 years for causing the deaths of a father and his 11-year-old son in a hit-and-run in Jersey.

Pounds, who was sentenced for seven offences, was banned from driving for 12 years.

Curtis said she hoped stricter laws "bring some comfort to victims, their friends and families".

"I hope it will encourage safer and more responsible driving," she said.

The States Assembly voted to approve the proposition, as amended, with 47 votes for, no votes against and no abstentions.

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