Grieving families campaign to change licence laws for young drivers

Graduate driving licensing schemes have reduced road collisions among young people in other countries

Caitlin Huddleston’s parents are among those campaigning for Graduated Driving Licensing (RoadPeace)

A group of 40 bereaved parents have joined together to campaign for graduated driving licensing, which would place restrictions on young drivers to prevent road deaths.

Research shows that drivers aged between 17 and 24 are involved in 24 per cent of all collisions resulting in death or serious injury, despite only accounting for seven per cent of the total driving population.

Other countries including Canada, Australia and New Zealand have previously adopted graduate driving licenses, which restrict nighttime driving and the number of similar-aged passengers a young driver can carry in their car.

Among those supporting the RoadPeace campaign is Sharron and Mike Huddleston, who lost their 18-year-old daughter Caitlin in July 2017, when she was killed in a car crash in Cumbria.

Caitlin died after a friend, who had only passed their test four months previously, crashed in Cumbria (RoadPeace )

An inquest into her death found that the collision was down to the driving inexperience of her friend, who had only passed her test four months previously.

Alongside other parents, including Chris and Nicole Taylor who also lost their 18-year-old daughter in 2008, they formed the Forget-me-not Families Uniting, which has been appealing to the government to introduce a graduate driving licensing system in the UK.

Mrs Huddleston said: “Enough is enough. 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.

“Our group was formed as a means of reaching out to the Government collectively, as individual contacts resulted in no action. I had been campaigning for years and nobody has listened, despite all of the overwhelming evidence that was being put to them by leading experts in this field.

Alice Greenwood was killed by a speeding young driver when she was just 12 years old (RoadPeace)

“Our message to the government is simple - listen to us, listen to the experts and learn from other countries, who have seen a huge reduction in young driver and passenger deaths after introducing Graduated Driving Licensing for young novice drivers.”

In countries where the system has been introduced, research shows a reduction of between 20 and 40 per cent in deaths and serious injuries in crashes involved in young drivers.

Meanwhile in the UK, 4,935 people were killed or injured in crashing involving at least one young driver in 2022.

Data from transport safety studies, insurance companies and charities has shown that drivers under the age of 24 are more likely to crash when driving at night, in difficult conditions or when they are carrying similar aged passengers.

Dr Ian Greenwood, who has a PhD in road safety policy said: “The evidence for Graduated Driving Licensing is strong and has been available for many years, and I hope politicians will listen to the experts and act.

“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.”