THE conviction yesterday of Gary Hart brings a sense of conclusion to the Great Heck railway disaster.

The relatives of those who died will be able to begin the healing process in private, rather than having to re-live the tragedy again and again in the courtroom.

Away from the glare of publicity, away from the constant questions, they will begin to find a way through their grief and build the best future they can. Justice has been done and, while that won't heal the hurt, it does mark a proper end to this tragic case.

As to Hart, whose appallingly negligent driving caused this disaster, he now has to wait to hear what his sentence will be.

Hart was, according to North Yorkshire Police, "a mobile catastrophe waiting to happen". On the night before his Land Rover careered off the M62 and was hit by a commuter train travelling between Newcastle and London, Hart had not slept at all. Instead he had been on the phone to a woman he had met on the Internet.

Hart drove two tons of metal through a foul and wintry February morning, hurtling through the snowy dark. His only thought appears to have been the prospect of his new relationship, which left him "buzzing".

Hart's recklessness brings into sharp relief the question of tiredness and driving. Sleepy drivers are a potential menace, as North Yorkshire knows to its cost. As well as the ten people killed at Great Heck, six motorists died on the A1(M) at Dishforth three months beforehand. Lorry driver Brian France, who ploughed into a broken-down car, is now serving a six year sentence for causing death by dangerous driving. It is thought that he dozed off at the wheel.

Driving while sleepy has to become as socially unacceptable as drinking and driving. Much careful thought will need to go into this matter. Rushed legislation won't help. Thought needs to be given to how tiredness can be measured.

Lorry drivers operate under strict controls. Perhaps it's time that private drivers adhered to stricter regulations.

Updated: 10:06 Friday, December 14, 2001