IN 2019, a terrible set of circumstances led to the death of a 15-year-old pedestrian when a South Australian driver lost control of their supercar and mounted the footpath. Horrible road traffic accidents are, unfortunately, not uncommon in Australia, but what made this case somewhat unusual was that the driver was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs, nor were they breaking the speed limit.
Instead, an investigation found that the vehicle’s stability systems had been switched off which, in combination with the driver’s inability to control the car, ended in disaster.
Controversially, the courts found the driver guilty not of causing death by dangerous driving, which would have been the likely outcome if drugs, alcohol or excessive speed had been a factor, but of the less serious offence…
