Law change bid welcome: It is to be hoped that Newcastle Central MP Jim Cousins meets with some measure of success in his efforts to get the Home Office to introduce tougher laws to deal with dangerous drivers.

He deserves credit for trying, although it has to be said, he is the latest in a rather long line of people to attempt to right the obvious wrongs in the current motor vehicle laws.

The reason he is involved is a constituent - pensioner Harry Thompson - died after being run down on a crossing by banned driver William Tait. Tait was jailed for 13 months for dangerous driving and five months for failing to stop after an accident - but received no punishment for hitting Mr Thompson - when he appeared in court last week.

He was already banned from driving - indeed, he had 19 previous convictions for driving while disqualified as well as 14 for driving without insurance. This was undoubtedly a factor in the length of his sentence but - and this is where the law is failing the victims - it had no bearing on the charges he faced.

That is because danger drivers such as Tait face motor vehicle charges if their actions on the road lead to someone death or serious injury. Consequences of their actions are - in strict legal terms - immaterial to the charges they face, unless the police can get enough evidence to lay a charge of causing death by dangerous driving.

The Journal has long advocated a complete change in the way such offences are viewed. We believe anyone who drives while disqualified, drunk, under the influence of drugs, without insurance or leaves the scene of an accident should not simply face "motoring charges."

The law should be framed in a way that allows the death or serious injury to be the main thrust of the charge and the fact that a motor vehicle was the "weapon" a secondary issue.

The American legal system has a charge of Vehicular Homicide which, many believe, allows the punishment to fit the crime. It would be too much to expect Mr Cousins to achieve that but at least he plans to register one more protest against the existing legal system.

We will defend anyone and everyone's right to a fair trial - whatever their past record. But we also believe the law is currently failing society in general and road accident victims in particular because the charges danger drivers face do not fit the crime.

Worse still, it has been that way for far too long.

To read the full story, click here MP backs call for tougher sentences

Playing with power: It has not been a good week for those who support a regional assembly in the North-East.

The Government's seeming reluctance to give these proposed bodies powers the electorate sees as worthwhile threatens the whole process.

The rift at the heart of Government over the issue was exposed yesterday as a senior adviser to New Labour accused Whitehall departments of clinging on to power like "Stalinists". Is this really the reason why important regional issues like transport, skills and learning may not come under control of a regional assembly?

If so, what is being done about it by the Government which, on one hand offers the choice of more self determination but, on the other, allows its own employees to wreck it.

People in the North-East will not vote for a relatively powerless "talking shop" but have indicated they will vote for something which really can improve their lives. If the latter is being prevented from being offered by self serving officials in London they should be stopped.

To read the full story, click here Row over powers of assembly grows