Group of 40 parents urges for restrictions on drivers under 24
Dozens of bereaved parents have formed a collective urging immediate action to address the high number of deaths involving young drivers on UK roads.
The group of 40 parents, whose loved ones were all killed by cars driven by young drivers, have formed campaign group Forgetme-not Families Uniting and are calling on the UK Government to save young lives.
Spearheading the movement are group cofounders Dr Ian and Juliette Greenwood from West Yorkshire, who tragically lost their 12-year-old daughter, Alice, when a car driven by a young speeding driver collided with her mother’s car in 2008.
Alice was killed and her mum and sister were both seriously injured. The young driver and his passenger in the other vehicle also died.
The campaign group says successive UK governments have been repeatedly presented with evidence on how to reduce the huge risks facing young, newly qualified drivers aged 17–24 and their passengers, but they have all failed to act.
UK-wide statistics show that young drivers between the ages of 17 and 24 are involved in 24% of all collisions resulting in death or serious injury, even though this group accounts for just 7% of the total driving population.
In 2022, 4,935 people were killed or seriously injured in crashes involving at least one young driver – this includes other road users of all ages, such as people travelling in separate cars or pedestrians.
Data from transport safety studies, car insurance companies and driving charities over many years has shown that drivers under the age of 24 are more likely to have crashes when they are carrying similaraged passengers in their car, when driving at night and when driving conditions are difficult.
In response to this evidence, several countries, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand and many US states, have successfully introduced
Graduated
Driving
Licensing, which restricts the number of similar-aged passengers a young driver can carry in the car, as well as night-time driving.
In these countries, there has been a reduction in deaths and serious injuries in crashes involving young drivers of between 20% and 40%, following the introduction of Graduated Driving Licensing.
Forget-me-not Families Uniting is calling for the UK Government to adopt their
own version of Graduated Driving Licensing to reduce road deaths and serious injuries and the creation of an expert panel to advise on how the scheme should look.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Dr Ian Greenwood, who has a
PhD in road safety policy, said: “Graduated Driving Licensing was first debated in the House of Commons in 1993, and my (forever) 12-year-old daughter was killed in a young driver crash in 2008. Had politicians acted before then, or over the decades since, and not simply debated, Alice might very well be looking forward to her 28th birthday this year.
“Between 20% and 40% of other bereaved parents might still have their children too. Politicians need to decide whether they will continue to ignore the evidence and calls from parents, or finally take action."
In 2022, experts at the RAC Foundation concluded that Graduated Driving Licensing improves road safety while having minimal impact on new drivers’ access to education, employment and social activities.
Forget-me-not Families Uniting has the backing of RoadPeace, Brake and The Road Victims’ Trust.
In a statement, the charities said: “We’re proud to come together to back these families and this growing movement. These families deserve to be heard and we hope to see action finally taken by the Government.
“We welcome other families to join this campaign and help us to stop these unnecessary deaths and serious injuries, just as other countries have.”