A motoring group has called for new drivers in the UK under 21 to be prohibited from transporting passengers their age or younger after they pass their test. According to the AA, a graduated licence (GDL), if introduced, would prevent at least 58 deaths and 934 serious injuries in road accidents each year.
The AA wants to see drivers with a “G”, graduated driver plate, given six penalty points if they don’t wear a seatbelt. This would result in them losing their license. In several countries including the US Canada Australia and Sweden, graduated driving licenses are already in use.
Department for Transport figures reveal that 290 people died and 4,669 were seriously injured on Britain’s road last year. The incidents involved at least one driver aged between 17-24 years.
Jakob Pfaudler said, “Not only does this represent a tragic loss of life, it also contributes to high insurance rates for young drivers.” When there are signs of a decrease in the number of young drivers and passengers who die or are seriously injured, these premiums will fall.
In other countries, graduated driver licensing has shown to reduce road fatalities and serious injuries. We call on the Transport Secretary to make simple and pragmatic changes to licensing so that young people can be better protected during their first few months as independent drivers.
The DfT, under the Conservative government announced in July 2019, that it was considering the introduction of GDL in England. However, this assessment was stopped in autumn 2020 due to the possible impact on the employment of young people. According to an online poll of 10,566 members of the AA, 33% of respondents said they would support passenger restrictions.
Kate Robertson raised concerns last week about young drivers who are newly qualified carrying passengers following an inquest on the deaths of four teens who drowned in November 2011 when their car fell into a ditch while they were visiting Snowdonia. Crystal Owen, Harvey’s mother, said that a ban would have saved the lives of these children.
She told us that she learned later about graduated licenses in other countries. “I wondered: What the hell was going on? Why is it or a version of it, not law? She continued: “Their minds are still not fully developed, so we restrict things like the purchase of cigarettes.”
Owen co-founded Forget-me-not Families Uniting to call for the introduction of GDLs. He also launched a petition Change.org which states: “With 1 in 5 newly qualified drivers having a crash within their first year, and with young drivers at a higher risk to be involved in a fatal accident when carrying peers age, there is a need to act immediately to save lives.”
DfT spokesperson: “While we do not consider graduated driving licenses, we recognize that young people are disproportionately the victims of tragic accidents on our roads. We are looking at other measures to combat this problem and protect younger drivers.” We are therefore committed to delivering the first road safety strategy in over a ten-year period and will outline next steps in due time.
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