Restrict what new drivers can do on the road to cut ‘needless deaths’

Limiting what new drivers can do on the road will cut “needless deaths”, ministers have been told.

The AA said motorists should be prevented from carrying passengers of a similar age for at least six months after passing their test.

It also called for new drivers to be required to keep a record showing they have driven on all types of roads.

These limitations would form part of graduated driving licences, which place restrictions on drivers for a set period after they pass their test.

They are used in several countries including the US, Canada, Australia and Sweden.

The Department for Transport (DfT) announced in July 2019 it was considering introducing the licences in England.

But the assessment was halted in autumn 2020, partly due to the potential impact on young people’s employment.

AA president Edmund King said: “One of the major issues that needs to be addressed is the needless deaths of young drivers, their passengers and others caught up in these crashes.

“Each year nearly 5,000 people are killed or seriously injured in crashes involving at least one young driver.

“One in five young drivers crash within a year of passing their test.

“Most people don’t realise, until it is too late, that road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults.

“We owe it to the next generation to introduce positive measures that will help give them healthy and prosperous lives.”

Sharron Huddleston, whose 18-year-old daughter Caitlin died as a passenger in a car crash in Cumbria in 2017, has formed Forget-me-not Families Uniting, a campaign group for people who have lost loved ones in road collisions.

She said: “Graduated licences are a crucial issue. How many more young people need to die before action is taken?

“We can’t sit back any longer and just watch as more and more young people are killed or seriously injured in road collisions.

“My daughter Caitlin would be alive today if action had been taken when the concept of graduated licences was floated years ago.”

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “While the UK has some of the safest roads in the world, any death is a tragedy which is why we continue working tirelessly to improve road safety for everyone.

“Our Think! campaign is specifically targeted at young male drivers, and we have commissioned research designed to help learner and newly-qualified drivers improve their skills and safety.”

The plea for graduated licences was issued as part of the AA’s so-called motoring manifesto ahead of local and mayoral elections in May, and a general election on a date still to be announced.

The Creating Confidence for Drivers document calls for measures such as better fuel price transparency, reducing VAT on public electric vehicle charging, using technology to make more permanent pothole repairs, and setting clear targets to reduce road deaths.