NEW offences to deal with drivers who cause death on the roads have been announced by the Government.

Under the measures a new offence of causing death by careless driving would be created, with a penalty of up to five years' imprisonment.

The moves were welcomed by the Huddersfield road safety charity, Brake.

A spokeswoman for Brake said: "Changes to the system of charges and penalties for driving offences are long overdue.

"All too often we see killer drivers - who devastate families and communities through reckless and selfish behaviour behind the wheel - getting away with little more than a fine. "We welcome these proposals as a step in the right direction.

"However, they fail to address the ongoing lack of justice for many drivers who cause serious injury on the roads."

Tabled as amendments to the Government's Road Safety Bill, the measures would also create a new offence of causing death when driving while unlicensed, disqualified or uninsured.

This will have a penalty of up to two years' imprisonment.

Other measures include defining careless driving in statute and putting beyond doubt that courts can find defendants guilty of a statutory bad driving offence as an alternative to manslaughter.

This would mean those found not guilty of manslaughter not escaping justice altogether if they caused death through bad driving.

Criminal justice minister Fiona Mactaggart said: "All too often, families who have lost loved ones because of a careless driver have seen the offender getting no more than a fine.

"That does not reflect the serious impact of the driving on their lives.

"That's why the Government is proposing these new offences with tough penalties to deal with bad driving.

I believe they strike the right balance between the level of criminal fault on the part of the bad driver and the devastation that their actions can cause.

She added: "We're responding to the concerns of families, victims, road safety groups and the police."