Mum wants all killer drink-drivers banned for life

The mum of a teenager killed by a drink-driver is demanding those who cause death on the roads while under the influence be banned for life.

Tracy Venison's son, Aidan Venison, was 19 when Toby Spiring, 28, ploughed into Aidan's motorcycle near Wisborough Green, West Sussex, on 30 June, 2024.

Police said Spiring was more than twice the legal limit of alcohol when the crash happened as he tried to overtake another vehicle after going to the pub.

Now Aidan's mum has started a petition urging Parliament to act against offenders like Spiring, from Littlehampton.

Spring pleaded guilty at Lewes Crown Court and was jailed for eight years.

He was also given a five-year driving ban. After that, he will be able to take an extended test and will be allowed back behind the wheel if he passes.

"I was astonished," said Venison, from Thakeham.

"This should be a total driving ban.

"They should not be allowed to go out and repeat the same thing again and take another person's life.

"When do we actually stand up and say, 'Enough is enough'?"

Venison's MP, Andrew Griffith, said: "It is a premeditated state of mind to get behind the wheel knowing that you are high on drugs or intoxicated through alcohol.

"This isn't someone, a driver, who has had a tragic momentary lapse of concentration."

The Department for Transport said: "Driving under the influence is reckless, dangerous and ruins lives.

"Courts already have the power to impose lifetime driving bans, and our first road safety strategy in over a decade will further strengthen enforcement and safety."