A GRIEVING widow's petition which calls for tougher sentences on killer drivers is bound for Downing Street after almost 102,000 signed it.

Lorraine Allaway of Long Preston, whose biker husband, Bob, 46, died when he was hit by a car in Settle in October last year, is to hand it over next Thursday.

She hopes it will be debated in parliament.

The driver of the Nissan car, Andrew Crook, 48, of Swinnow Grove, Leeds, was jailed for four years and eight months in May and was banned from driving for five years and eight months.

He was two-and-half-times over the drink driving limit and admitted causing death by careless driving.

Lorraine launched the petition shortly after the sentence demanding longer sentences and the banning for life of people who kill when driving.

"I vowed on the day the man who killed Bob was sentenced that I would campaign to get the law changed regarding sentencing of drivers who kill vulnerable road users.

"I'm staggered at the response to the petition. I can't believe how quickly we have collected over 100,000 names.

"Once the biker community were aware of it, things just snowballed. There is such a lot of passion among people about this subject and I will continue campaigning until the law is changed."

Lorraine has won the support of Skipton Tory MP Julian Smith who has backed her campaign since it was launched.

Accompanying her to Downing Street will be her brother and sister George Rodgers and Sue Brown as well as representatives from BRAKE , the charity which is calling on the Government to review the current charging and sentencing guidelines.

She is also supported by CADD - Campaign Against Drink Driving - and SCARD - Support and Care After Road Death and Injury.

A BRAKE spokesman said: "There are too many families like the Allaways who suffer the double trauma of losing a loved one in a sudden and violent way and then witnessing the judicial system turning its back on them."

It had launched a Roads to Justice campaign which called on the Government to get tough on criminal drivers who kill or seriously injure others.

Visit change.org/p/tougher-sentences-for-drivers-who-kill-other-road-users-whilst-driving-drunk to sign the online petition.