When not handled properly, a car can become a deadly weapon - a fact that the families whose lives have been turned upside down by these drivers know all too well.
Hauled before judges in Newcastle and Durham, these drivers admitted or were convicted of careless or dangerous driving offences. When they were meant to be in control of the vehicles they had been trusted with, they caused the deaths and injuries of passengers, other road users or, in one case, a beloved family dog.
All those who've been sentenced were handed jail sentences and banned from driving - one of those on the list is currently awaiting his sentencing hearing.
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These are their offences and the sentences they were handed:
Rhys McLennan
This teenager has admitted killing a girl by careless driving while uninsured and unlicensed on a road in Northumberland.
Rhys McLennan was behind the wheel of a Nissan Pixo when it collided with a tree on the B6341 near Edlingham, close to Alnwick. The 19-year-old's passenger, Chelsea Gillie, suffered serious injuries and was taken to Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary.
However, the 17-year-old, from Berwick, died in the hospital three days later.
McLennan, of Cheviot Lodge, in Longframlington, pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving, causing death by driving while unlicensed and causing death by driving while uninsured, at Newcastle Crown Court. He is set to be sentenced in August, when full details of what happened will be revealed.
Kenneth Wilson
Lorry driver Kenneth Wilson killed a nurse by smashing into the back of her stationary car after taking his eyes off the road to get a can of coke out of his bag. The danger driver was jailed for 28 months in May.
Tanya Forrest was driving with her mum in the passenger seat of her Ford Ka on the A189 Spine Road, in Cramlington, Northumberland, when tragedy struck. Tanya had called NHS on 111 on a bluetooth device to order a prescription for mum, Sandra, when the call operator told her to stop somewhere safe to continue the call. But she stopped in the middle of the nearside lane of the dual carriageway.
A number of other cars were able to drive around her but delivery driver Kenneth Wilson had taken his eyes off the road for a crucial six seconds as he fumbled in his bag for a drink. He didn't see the Ford Ka or that other vehicles had driven around it and he smashed into the back of it.
Much-loved nurse Tanya, 51, died at the scene while her mum suffered devastating injuries.
Wilson, 55, of Milton Road, Carcroft, Doncaster, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and serious injury by dangerous driving and alongside the jail sentence was banned from driving for three years and eight months.
Christopher Brown
Show-off Christopher Brown caused the death of childhood pal Callum Gray by losing control of his modified Subaru Impreza after downing lager. Much-loved Callum, 28, initially walked away from the scene but collapsed half a mile from the crash site in Ryton, Gateshead. He died eleven days later from neck and chest injuries.
After leaving a pub, Brown drove at a high speed for the 30mph area. When he went to make a turn, the car spun out of control and hit a brick wall and the near side ended up embedded in a wall at 90 degree angle to the road.
Newcastle Crown Court heard in April how the family of "gentle giant" Callum, an oil and gas specialist who had travelled around the world for work, have been left devastated by his loss.
Brown, 29, of Castle Lea, Prudhoe, pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving while over the drink drive limit and was jailed for 40 months. As well as the prison sentence, dad-of-two Brown, who has no previous convictions, will be banned from driving for three years after he is released.
Cameron Holdsworth
This boy racer killed his girlfriend while showing off to fellow members of a car club. Cameron Holdsworth was travelling at almost twice the 30mph speed limit on an industrial estate in Blyth, Northumberland, when he drove straight across a corner and into the path of an oncoming lorry.
His passenger Hannah Inman, who screamed Holdsworth's name as she saw what was coming, suffered fatal injuries. A court heard footage recovered from mobile phones and dash cameras showed Holdsworth had a propensity for dangerous driving as part of activities with the Total Chaos driving group, of which he and Hannah were both members.
A judge said he was showing off to members of the group who had gathered in Blyth when he caused 21-year-old Hannah's death. Holdsworth, 22 at the time and 24 at the time of his sentencing in April, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and was jailed for seven years at Newcastle Crown Court.
Holdsworth, of Sycamore Road, Fishburn, County Durham, had no previous convictions, the court heard, and felt 'genuine remorse' over the death of the 'love of his life'.
Katie Webster
This drunk driver killed a dog after smashing into a family car on the A1(M) as she filmed herself on Snapchat driving at high-speed.
Katie Webster had been drinking booze when she decided to get behind the wheel on September 15, last year. The 32-year-old then travelled along the A1(M) at speeds of up to 107mph as she filmed herself on Snapchat, before smashing into a couple who were driving home from a day out at Northumberland with their child and the pet.
The force of the crash caused the family's car to flip and land on its roof, killing the family dog and fracturing the spine of the mother. When Webster was arrested, she tried to make off from the scene before being taken to hospital and then attacking a police officer.
Webster, of Dixon Way, Coundon, County Durham, appeared at Durham Crown Court in May to be sentenced for dangerous driving, driving without insurance or a licence, and assaulting an emergency worker.
She was jailed for 12 months and banned from driving for three years and six months. She must also take an extended re-test if she wants her licence back.
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