WE often read headlines about families bereaved by a dangerous driver and probably experience a mixture of sorrow, empathy, anger and relief that it’s not us and those we love.

But, it can happen to us and our families. The Bolton News has reported these awful incidents over many years. And the real tragedy is that nothing has really changed in getting justice for the families left behind.

Now, the parents of a man killed by a dangerous driver 17 years ago have spoken up in support of one that lost a much-loved mother more recently. Geoffrey and Margaret Willis lost their son Gareth in 1999. He was killed by a speeding car at the age of just 29. The driver was sentenced to 30 months in prison, suspended for 15 months.

After a campaign by Gareth’s family, the sentence was increased to three years and six months – still pitifully small for taking a life.

Mr and Mrs Willis were supporting the family of mother of two Louise Wolstenholme, killed in a road incident this year. Her killer was sentenced to 16 months in prison for death by careless driving and a consecutive six months for perverting the course of justice.

The Willis family believe that “history continues to repeat itself” and calls for a change in the law for those who use a motor vehicle to kill.

Ms Wolstenholme’s family have also tried to get the court sentence in her case increased, but were refused leave to appeal.

A need for a seachange in the way we as a so-called civilised society view our relationship with cars is long overdue. Poor driving is now so commonplace that we almost expect it.

Drivers speed just because they want to and because their vehicle can. They insist on overtaking at dangerously stupid places and other mindless manoeuvres. They drink or take drugs before getting behind the wheel. They believe that they are kings of the road and can do what they want.

The law has not so much been slow to catch up with this deterioration in driving habits as ignoring it completely. There just has to be more responsibility taken for the way we drive and what we do behind the wheel. And the law needs to enforce this far more strongly.

Otherwise, those terrible media stories about devastated families will just continue, and they could be you or me.