It remains a concern how many serious road traffic collisions involve young, inexperienced drivers. That has been on my mind after sitting through two recent Crown Court sentencing hearings, where inexperience, speed and tragic consequences were a clear and recurring theme.
On the 13th February 2026 I attended Gloucester Crown Court for the sentencing hearing on the matter of R -v- Liberty Mitchell. Miss Mitchell, aged 18 at the incident time, was the driver of a Mini Cooper, with a front seat passenger, when travelling at 96 miles per hour in a 60 mph single carriageway overtook 3 vehicles resulting in causing a collision with oncoming vehicles which involved four vehicles in the crash. Unfortunately, two people died, three suffered serious injury and others had less serious injury. She was sentenced to 6 years and 8 months.
Miss Mitchell, having passed her test within a few weeks, had been travelling with a colleague when she made her misjudged decision which according to witness evidence was the latest of a series of reckless manoeuvres leading up to this catastrophic incident. Furthermore, her own social media taken in the days prior to the incident contained footage of other examples of her reckless driving including what was described as “playing chicken” with oncoming traffic
Click here to read the Gloucester Police release on the Hearing – Woman sentenced after causing collision which killed two people and seriously injured three others.
On the 4th February 2026 I attended Aylesbury Crown Court for the sentencing Hearing on R -v- Trad Almaghrabi. Mr Almaghrabi, aged 23 at the incident time, was sentenced to 10 years for causing a death and a serious injury by dangerous driving. He also left the scene of the incident and was later found to have traces of cannabis in his system. He had three passengers in his car. It was found that he had been driving a Mercedes motor car between 135 to 146 miles per hour in a 50 miles per hour limit within road works of the M40 motorway and witness evidence was that on the road leading up to the crash he had been weaving in traffic.
Read the Thames Valley Police release here – Man sentenced to prison for causing death by dangerous driving – Beaconsfield.
The theme of both incidents
In both of these recent sentencing hearings which I attended there was an unmistakable theme:-
- Young and/or inexperienced drivers
- Passengers/friends in the vehicle
- Excessive Speeding
- Driving in a reckless manner on approach to the incident
You were, at the time, a reckless and immature young driver suffering from the frankly common teenage delusion that you were invulnerable and free to do as you wished.
The sentencing judge in Mitchell summing up
The consequence of negligent drivers
The actions of these negligent drivers had wide ranging consequences on those directly involved but also others as well. The individuals who lost their lives as a result of the actions of the at fault drivers in such traumatic circumstances affecting their family members and loved ones. Those who suffered serious injury affecting how they live the remainder of their lives often requiring medical aids and care.
It is correct for those who drive dangerously, with reckless disregard for others, using our roads to be punished in accordance with the Criminal Sentencing Guidelines. However, this also has a cost to our society in terms of the police resource engaged in the investigation, the involvement of the court process, the subsequent cost of the prison service and the risk that once these young persons are released from prison they may be at increased risk of re-offending.
The cost to those who are bereaved or seriously injured is unacceptable. Whilst Government may be concerned about the cost of investing in road crash prevention I would be interested to know how this compares to the actual human cost of those involved in serious road traffic collision, on our society and economy. What would an increased investment in road safety by Central Government look like in terms of outcomes?
Call to action that may improve driving behaviour
I offer some thoughts on activities that may influence the behaviour of young and/or inexperienced drivers.
- An insurance black box to be fitted in all inexperienced driver’s cars whereby the cost of the insurance is tied to the manner of driving, whether speed limits are exceeded, and hours of use.
- Graduated Driving Licence (“GDL”) imposing conditions on inexperienced drivers such as a limit on how many passengers can be carried and during what hours.
- Education to seek to influence Society’s attitude/perception toward poor driving and the consequence. A vehicle is a potential weapon with the propensity to kill or main.
Post crash support
In January 2026 the specialist national road safety charity, RoadPeace, headquartered in London closed due to an anticipated shortfall in future funding to meet operating costs. This seems to leave precious few charities who specialise in this area of post crash victim support including Brake (Huddersfield), Road Victims Trust (Bedfordshire) and Aftermath Support (Liverpool).
The current condition of the charity sector is precarious with a risk of victims being unable to access specialist road crash support, which I recently explored in my article, Brain injury support services under threat as charities close.
At the present time, with a need for post crash support for those victims, it is necessary that we find a way to fund these charities to ensure that they are accessible to those victims at their time of need. Indeed, the Victims Code at Rule 4 makes a specific recommendation that the police and CPS signpost victims for support to specialist services. The Government should either directly fund this report or create an environment where the road safety charities can operate to deliver their vital services.
What is the victims code? Find out more.
Legal support
If you have suffered a serious injury or have been bereaved as a result of a serious road traffic collision then approaching a civil solicitor who specialises in acting in these matters can give you support on the following areas:-
Criminal Hearing
In most cases a civil solicitor will attend a criminal hearing to take a note of the evidence so if you choose not to attend the hearing you can have access to that note and the solicitor often will be able to guide you through the criminal process. In cases of death the police will usually appoint a family liaison officer. What you should instruct a specialist in a fall collision claim?
Inquest representation
The Coroner is notified of all unnatural deaths in England & Wales. Having a solicitor act for you during this process can be helpful particularly if the death arises from a road traffic collision or an accident at work because the at-fault party may be legally represented. For more, read here https://www.moorebarlow.com/blog/supporting-families-at-inquest/
Probate
Most financial institutions such as a bank will ask you to obtain a Grant of Probate (where there is a Will) or Letters of Administration (where there is no Will) to confirm you are the appropriate person to administer funds. A solicitor will be able to act for you on applying to the Probate Registry.
Civil Insurance claim
A civil solicitor instructed early can access for you rehabilitation, secure interim payments and compensation to rebuild your life after serious injury. This is what we did in the following case – Motorcyclist secures seven figure settlement and an award of provisional damages.
How Moore Barlow can help
If you have suffered a serious injury or have tragically been bereaved as a result of a road traffic collision then contact our specialist personal injury solicitors to enquire how we can support you to access rehabilitation, secure interim payments and compensation.
Our team can be contacted on Freephone 0800 157 7611 or [email protected]
