Dangerous driving - what it is and how to report it

Here we help you understand what dangerous driving involves, its punishments and how you can report other motorists for endangering others.

Dangerous driving

Dangerous driving is committed when a motorist’s driving falls far below the standard expected of a competent and careful driver and it would be obvious to a competent and careful driver that driving in that way would be dangerous.

Dangerous driving examples

A range of situations are covered by dangerous driving, from the seemingly obvious, like speeding – to lighting a cigarette in your car. 

Other examples include driving under the influence of drink and drugs, just as one driver did in March while reporting another motorist for drink-driving. 

Ignoring road signs could also lead to a high-risk situation and a dangerous driving charge.

Examples of dangerous driving can include:

• Speeding, racing or driving aggressively 
• Ignoring road signs and traffic lights 
• Drink or drug-driving, including prescription drugs
  • This is a type of dangerous driving but there are separate offences/codes for drink and drug offences which are different to the five categories listed in the table below – these offences stay on record for longer than 4 years 
• Driving with an injury or while being unable to see clearly
• Knowingly driving with an unsafe load or dangerous fault
• The driver being avoidably and dangerously distracted, for example by: 
  • using a mobile phone or other equipment
  • reading, or looking at a map
  • talking to and looking at a passenger
  • lighting a cigarette, changing a CD or tape, or tuning the radio.

The penalties for dangerous driving

Dangerous driving is split into five different offences. The penalties awarded to a driver will depend on the offence they’re charged with and the severity and circumstances of an incident.

The table below shows the points drivers face for different charges, these stay on record for four years from the date of the offence.

A DD80 and DD40 endorsement come with an obligatory driving ban, the more serious charge of causing death by dangerous driving carries an obligatory 2-year ban. 

Any driver acquiring more than 12 points on their licence within 3 years will also face a ban. 

Dangerous driving charges carry an unlimited fine, while prison terms can reach 10 years for causing death by dangerous driving (DD80), maximum sentence 14 years’ custody.

• Drink-drive limits: everything you need to know
• Drug-driving laws: what you need to know
• Fixed Penalty Notices: all you need to know

ALSO: Learner driver insurance - from 2 hours to 5 months

Can you go to jail for dangerous driving?

Whether somebody ends up in jail, and the length of their sentence, depends on the severity and circumstances of an incident. 

A dangerous driving charge doesn’t necessarily carry a prison sentence as a recent case in Durham proves, however, the maximum jail term for causing death by dangerous driving (DD80) is 14 years.