Today (Wednesday 3 July 2013) Rehman has called for tougher sentences for motorists who persistently drink and drive.
He introduced his Drink Driving (repeat offenders) Bill in Parliament, allowing courts to lock up drink drivers for up to two years.
Currently the maximum jail sentence is six months no matter how many times a motorist has previously been caught. Under Rehman’s proposals, those caught three times could face two years in jail.
Rehman argued that whilst attitudes to drink driving have changed over the last 30 years, "it is clear that the current law is not a powerful enough deterrent for many people."
He said that "in 2011 almost 10,000 casualties occurred when someone was driving whilst over the legal alcohol limit” and that “more people are in fact killed as a result of drink driving than from knife crime, yet the maximum penalty for carrying a knife is four years in prison compared to the significantly lower 6 months for drink driving."
In Kent and Medway, a person is killed in a collision every week with one in six of those deaths linked to drink driving.
And whilst Kent Police, along with Kent and Medway Road Safety Teams, has run successful campaigns to tackle this issue, there is still a persistent minority of motorists who put people’s safety at risk. In just one month, over Christmas, 221 people were arrested in Kent for being over the legal limit.
Rehman also argued that increasing the maximum custodial sentence from six months to two years will "provide the courts with the additional tools they need to tackle those who persist in flouting the law."
He went on to say that the principle of increasing sentences for repeat offenders has already been applied to other crimes. For example the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act provides a minimum sentence for a third offence for burglary.
It has also been adopted by other countries. Drivers in New Zealand and parts of Australia face two years in prison for subsequent offences.
Mr Chishti also argued: "it is clear that to reduce drink driving casualties further we need to take a tougher stance and this proposal will send a clear message to those who continue to drink and drive that they will face up to two years in prison if they persist in exceeding the legal limits and continue to put innocent lives at risk."