They are some of the most shocking and emotive cases, with innocent people's lives being cut short out of the blue. Often, the families of those caught up in such tragedies feel that the punishment handed down may not fit the crime.
Earlier this month, a top Manchester judge passing sentence in a case of death by dangerous driving where a loving couple died in the same crash, even admitted the jail term he imposed on their killer 'may appear less than it ought to be'. Under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act, which came into force at the end of last month, judges can now impose life sentences to those convicted of causing death by dangerous driving.
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The previous maximum sentence was 14 years. "Too many lives have been lost to reckless behaviour behind the wheel, devastating families," justice secretary Dominic Raab said.
But it remains to be seen whether the threat of life sentences reduces the amount of people killed on our roads. Here are some of the recent cases where dangerous drivers killed innocent victims.
Andrew Cairns
Ruby Cropper, 11, was crossing the road with a friend when she was killed by Andrew Cairns. Speeding Cairns had been driving home from work when he ploughed into Ruby in Radcliffe.
One witness said he'd been 'driving like a looney'. The speed limit for the area was 30mph, but an expert said Cairns was travelling at a speed of at least 44mph.
Six months after killing Ruby, Cairns was found speeding on the M62 at up to 98mph. Ruby's brother Ryan Veitch recalled the horrific moment he learned of the incident involving his sibling.
"I was driving down the street and I saw an air ambulance and I realised how serious it was," he said. "I screamed: 'No, please don’t be for Ruby, no please don’t be for Ruby'."
Cairns was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving, and in February he was jailed for five years.
Connor Faulkner
Joanne Whyte was making her way home with friends after watching England play in the Euro 2020 final when she was killed. The mum-of-three was crossing the road after leaving Denton Working Men's Club when Connor Faulkner hit her.
Faulkner, who had an appalling record of driving offences, had reached speeds of up to 73mph in a 30mph zone, was overtaking other vehicles and went through a red light before hitting the 49-year-old with a powerful BMW 220D. Rather than helping her, Faulkner tried to cover his tracks.
He picked up pieces of debris, throwing the BMW's bumper over a fence in a bid to get rid of evidence. A local resident tried to stop him leaving the scene, but after a short time he drove off.
In court, Mrs Whyte's brother John told Faulkner: "You have no compassion or remorse - in fact, do you know the meaning of those words? You are a coward."
Faulkner admitted causing death by dangerous driving, causing death by driving while disqualified, causing death by driving without insurance, failing to stop after a collision, failing to report a collision and possession of cannabis. Faulkner, 27, was jailed for seven years.
Abdisalan Ali
Stephen and Geraldine Birtles had been out for a meal in Didsbury and were walking home. The couple were killed by convicted drug dealer Abdisalan Ali, who was speeding while trying to flee from police.
Mr and Mrs Birtles, aged 71 and 64, suffered fatal injuries after being hit by Ali who was driving at twice the speed limit in a BMW. Mrs Birtles died at the scene, while her husband passed away 12 days later having never regained consciousness.
Their daughter Nicola Helley made an emotional statement in court, telling Ali: "To us you are simply not worth a second of our energy. You may have destroyed my parents' lives, I will not let you destroy mine."
Ali, 24, did not stop at the scene was arrested after police discovered a drinks bottle in the car containing his DNA. Ali, from Whalley Range, was jailed for eight years and eight months earlier this month.
Judge Alan Conrad QC admitted the sentence 'may appear less than it ought to be' given the seriousness of the crime. The judge said he was 'bound' by the 14 year maximum sentence in force at the time of the fatal collision.
Ben Trigger
Abdelkader Dhrif, 70, was out walking his dog Masie when the pair were both killed by a speeding businessman. Ben Trigger, who had twice previously been banned for drink-driving, drove through a pedestrian crossing at 20mph over the speed limit on the East Lancs Road in Salford.
He hit grandfather Mr Dhrif and Masie while travelling at 60mph. He passed through the junction as the traffic light was red for pedestrians and green for motorists.
Following a trial Trigger, from Wigan, was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving. Susan Dhrif, Mr Dhrif's heartbroken wife of 42 years, said: "I find it very difficult to accept that I will never see my kind, caring, loving husband again."
While his daughter Sara said of Trigger: "If you are driving 20mph over the speed limit, you have to accept that there may be consequences." Jailing Trigger for two years and six months in May, Judge Alan Conrad QC told the defendant: "You killed a man because you were driving too fast in all the circumstances. Had you not been driving too fast, he would not have died."
Steven Bennett
Married couple Richard and Angela Wong were returning from their caravan in Wales when they were killed. They died after a former professional footballer drove a lorry into the back of their car, causing a horrific pile up.
Steven Bennett, who played a handful of games for Barnsley in the Championship during a 'promising' professional career, had been fiddling with his phone prior to the collision. He had been using the device as a sat nav, and had been trying to re-plug in the charger in the seconds prior.
Bennett failed to slow down and ploughed into the back of the couple, from Northenden, while travelling at around 50mph. Mrs Wong, 56, was pronounced dead at the scene, while Mr Wong, 62, was rushed to hospital where he died three days later.
Their children Robert and Charlotte described sitting at their father's bedside and having to take the 'extremely difficult' decision to switch off his life-support machine. In September last year, Bennett was jailed for five years after pleading guilty to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving.
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