When Parliament increases a maximum penalty, sentencing courts must give full effect to the new maximum immediately — there is no permissible 'phasing-in' period, and parity with a sentence imposed under an erroneously lenient approach in another case does not justify departure from the correct sentencing regime. A professional truck driver's failure to keep a proper lookout for 10-11 seconds while driving a prime mover at 70 kph in a built-up area near controlled intersections cannot be characterised as being at the 'low end' of the dangerous driving scale. General deterrence is an important sentencing consideration in all cases of dangerous driving causing death, including those resulting from inattention rather than deliberate flouting of road laws.
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