Government plans to tighten the laws on dangerous driving have gained a broad welcome form the Conservatives.

Publishing a consultation paper on Thursday, Home Office minister Baroness Scotland said bad or illegal drives should be punished for "the devastation that their action may cause".

Four proposals include creating a new offence of causing death by careless driving, which would carry a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment.

There would also be a sentences of up to five years for drivers who cause death if driving while disqualified or unlicensed.

In addition courts would be allowed to take serious injuries into account when sentencing, and an alternative verdict of guilty for statutory offences would be available when the offence of manslaughter is not proved.

"Whilst we have made great advances in recent years in improving road safety, too many people are still killed or seriously injured as a result of dangerous, careless and illegal driving," said Office Baroness Scotland.

"We need to ensure that the criminal law plays an effective role in protecting road users and pedestrians and that the justice system is on the side of the victim.

"Our proposals today, which we aim to take forward in legislation, seek to strike the right balance between the level of criminal culpability on the part of the bad or illegal driver and the devastation that their action may cause."

Punishment

Shadow home secretary David Davis said there was a definite need for "stronger punishments for those who kill on the road".

"The government is right to toughen up the law but it is vital there is extreme clarity in the way the law is improved," he said.

"As well as toughening up the law, the government should issue guidelines urgently to the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure that they do prosecute motorists who kill to the full extent of the law.

"The police have recently claimed that the CPS is often reluctant to press for the most serious charges for deaths on the roads."

Davis also welcomed the move to create another offence of death resulting from illegal driving.