IT is 17 months since the government pledged to introduce life sentences for dangerous drivers who kill.

But, today, we are still waiting. Cases are going through the courts of enormous severity and judges are still not equipped with the sentencing powers they need.

Justice in many people’s eyes is still not being done. No wonder Becky and Glenn Youens – the parents of Violet-Grace, the four-year-old killed by a speeding hit-and-run driver – are angry.

The announcement in October 2017 that sentencing powers would be stiffened came months after the two men who were in the car that killed Violet were sentenced. At the time, that gave many a degree of comfort that the lenient sentence handed to the driver Aidan McAteer would not be repeated. The justice system would no longer fail children such as Violet.

However, there has been a lack of progress. This week the Ministry of Justice said action would be taken when parliamentary time allows it. Clearly there are major issues unfolding at Westminster. But it is not good enough that such an important issue – one that means so much to many communities and families across the UK affected by the actions of reckless drivers – appears to have been put on the back burner.

Last Friday Violet’s parents made it clear they had had enough of waiting. They launched the e-petition calling for Violet-Grace’s Law, which calls for life sentences for dangerous drivers who kill. More than 10,000 names were amassed within 48 hours, meaning the Government must respond. That number has nearly tripled, with support coming from around the country. Star readers can play a big role in ensuring the campaign reaches 100,000, which will mean the issue must be considered for a parliamentary debate.

This is not about punishing drivers who make an error that claims a life. It is about delivering justice to offenders who are reckless and dangerous.

It is about having the right laws to sentence drivers who travel at 80mph on a 30mph street. Drivers who hurtle through red lights at speeds. Drivers who fatally injure little girls – and then run off.