A LEADING solicitor says he is “surprised” that dangerous drivers who cause serious injury cannot be jailed for longer.

Yesterday, we launched the Drive For Justice campaign after Christopher Marr was sentenced to 26 months in prison after ploughing into a group of teenagers.

Three were seriously injured, including Devon Foster, who only came out of hospital this week after the crash which happened on August 22.

Joe Egan is a solicitor with more than 30 years’ experience and has his own firm in Bolton.

Mr Egan, who is the president of Bolton Law Society, said: “I am surprised that the maximum is two years, given the level of injuries that can be caused which fall short of death.

“There is a big gap between the sentencing, but I don’t know why.

“The sentence for dangerous driving has been criticised in 1984 by the Lord Chief Justice, who expressed concern then for the leniency of sentencing.

“I am a parent myself and can understand why people are upset about this.”

The maximum sentence for death by dangerous driving is 14 years, which was increased from 10 years in 2007.

But for dangerous driving it is two years, no matter how seriously people are injured. Judge Steven Everett, who sentenced Marr, said he would have been jailed for eight years had any of his victims died.

Mr Egan added: “If someone is permanently incapacitated in a dangerous driving incident, in some ways that can be worse than death.

“For people who commit death by dangerous driving the sentence tends to be three or four years.”

Mr Egan said he had been involved in cases where defendants had been cleared of death by dangerous driving and found guilty of the lesser charge of careless driving — for which the maximum sentence is a fine.

In August, 2008, a new offence of death by careless driving was introduced to fill the gap in the law.

Dangerous driving offences can be heard at either magistrates or crown court. The most serious cases will be heard at the crown court.

Offences such as drink-driving and talking on a mobile phone can be classed as dangerous driving. The maximum sentence in magistrates court is six months in prison, but more often dangerous drivers dealt with by magistrates receive a fine, Mr Egan said.

The charge of reckless driving has been replaced by dangerous driving.

However, there is still nothing to see that justice is served for those badly injured by dangerous drivers.