THE parents of a 17-year-old boy killed by his joyriding friend in a car crash have called for tougher driving laws to prevent future tragedies.

Adam and Michelle King, of Cranbourne Drive, Pinner, said there was a culture of young men using theirs cars as a way to gain respect among friends, but warned: "When you get behind the wheel, you are in control of a loaded weapon."

The couple were speaking to the Observer after Alex Jaggs, 19, was jailed for causing the death of their son, 17-year-old Jack King, last May.

Jaggs had not been drinking but had recently bought a new car and was driving aggressively to 'show off' to Jack and two other passengers.

A court heard last week that he had been driving at twice the speed limit on the wrong side of the road before slamming into a tree, killing Jack.

Mrs King said: "Our lives have been turned upside down, devastated. We will serve our own sentence for the rest of our lives. They said Alex [Jaggs] was a shy boy but when he was behind the wheel of a car, he became someone else. It was his way of getting people to look up to him."

The family were disappointed that the prosecutors had decided against charging Jaggs with manslaughter. Had they done, there was a risk of losing the court case and Jaggs not getting any conviction at all.

By charging death by dangerous driving, the maximum sentence for a guilty plea is five years, which Jaggs received on Friday (18). He was banned from driving for five years also.

Mr King said: "It could have been even worse that night. Jaggs could have killed the other two passengers and the kids on the pavement. He should have been banned for life, but he will be on the road again in five years. It could happen again."

The family want to see tougher driving laws, which could mean raising the age limit of tests or rules against driving unsupervised or owning a car until a certain age.

Mrs King added: "I think there should be something done about boy racers. There are so many others like Jaggs who just think it is a bit of fun but they haven't got a clue of the devastation it can cause."