A grieving mother whose daughter was killed by an uninsured driver is "appalled" that fines for driving without insurance in West Yorkshire are among the lowest in the country.

New figures reveal that the average fine handed out by magistrates in West Yorkshire for driving without insurance is just £144 - a fraction of the cost of a policy and more than £200 lower than neighbouring Derbyshire.

But fines, however large, are no form of deterrent to uninsured drivers, according to Kathleen Egan, whose 23-year-old daughter Leanne Egan, of Ravenscliffe, Bradford, was knocked down and killed by a speeding uninsured driver in 2005.

Mrs Egan said: "I find it appalling that uninsured drivers can get away with £144 fines. It's atrocious.

"People who drive without insurance know exactly what they are doing and should be given a short sharp shock - possibly six weeks in prison."

But Mary Carroll, chairman of the bench at Bradford Magistrates' Court, said all fines issued by the magistrates were based on national sentencing guidelines.

She said uninsured drivers fell into Band D - the middle of three bands of the fining system - which meant they could be fined their entire weekly disposable income as determined by a means test.

She said: "West Yorkshire in terms of the population are not high income earners and we have a number of people who are unemployed and who have very low-paid jobs, so this brings the average down.

"We have to make sure the defendant is able to pay within 12 months, so there would be no point fining someone like David Beckham the same as you would fine a person who earns £120 a week."

People driving without insurance have seen a reduction in fines in the last few years - despite the numbers being caught and found guilty increasing.

Home Office figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats show the average fine handed to an uninsured driver has fallen by 16 per cent from £203 in 2000 to £169 across England and Wales.

But fines in West Yorkshire have fallen more dramatically than other areas across the country, with only eight other police force areas handing out smaller fines.

In 2000 the average fine for driving without insurance across the area was £209 and 15,649 people were convicted. By 2004 - latest figures available - the numbers charged had risen to 20,308 but the average fine fell to £144. Derbyshire magistrates on average slam uninsured drivers with fines of £367. Courts are allowed to hand out fines of up to £5,000 to anyone found guilt of driving while uninsured and can also hand out up to eight penalty points.

The Home Office said it was committed to the problem and measures were in place if courts chose to hand out the maximum fines.

Last summer Barkerend and the BD8 postal area both featured in the top ten "hall of shame" for harbouring the highest number of uninsured drivers, according to a Motor Insurers' Bureau survey.

A "life-saving" road policing strategy was unveiled in the Bradford district with the dual aim of cutting deaths and serious injuries while denying illegal drivers use of the roads.

Steve Thornton, chairman of the Bradford-based West Yorkshire Casualty Reduction Partnership, welcomed the fact that more people were being brought to justice for driving without insurance.

He said: "We are working with the police to make sure this does happen. We want the roads to be safe and greater social responsibility is what we are aiming for."

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