AA's call for young driver restrictions backed by grieving mother of Shrewsbury teen killed in crash

The chief executive of the motoring organisation, Jakob Pfaudler, has written to Transport Secretary Louise Haigh over the issue.

He says making the changes could save 58 lives a year, and prevent at least 260 serious injuries.

Included in the AA's specific calls are changes so that anyone under 21 who passes their driving test cannot carry "peer-age passengers" for six months.

The call comes after the coroner presiding over the inquest of four Shrewsbury teenagers killed in a road crash in North Wales said she would write to the Government over the issue.

Senior coroner for north west Wales Kate Robertson was speaking after recording a conclusion of death by road traffic collision, in the deaths of Hugo Morris, 18, Jevon Hirst, 16, Harvey Owen, 17, and Wilf Fitchett, 17.

She said she would write to the Department for Transport and the DVLA to raise concerns that deaths could continue to occur where “young, newly-qualified drivers are permitted to carry passengers”.

Giving his own support for the changes, Mr Pfaudler, CEO of the AA, said: "Graduated driver licensing has been proven in other countries to significantly reduce road deaths and serious injuries.

"Figures show 290 people were killed in young driver crashes last year with more than 4,669 seriously injured. Not only is this a tragic waste of life, but it contributes to the burden of high insurance premiums for young drivers. These premiums should fall when there is evidence of a reduction of young drivers and passengers killed and seriously injured.

"We are calling on the Transport Secretary to make simple, pragmatic changes to the licensing process so young people are better protected in their first few months of independent driving."

Under the measures new drivers would also face six point penalties for not wearing a seatbelt – effectively meaning they would lose their licence for the offence.

Another proposal is for the addition of a ‘G’ plate to aid police enforcement. That would see new drivers under 21 required to display a ‘G’ plate – indicating a graduate driver – for the first six months after passing their test.

The AA's calls have been backed by Crystal Owen, whose son Harvey died in the North Wales crash last year.

Mrs Owen has been campaigning for the introduction of graduated driving licences (GDL) since the tragedy.

She said: "I am really pleased they are supporting it, I just hope that the Government listen.

"It is literally black and white, something needs to be done - but the Government still says it is looking at other options."

Mrs Owen said that the Government is failing to grapple with the issue of road deaths involving young people in the same way as problems such as knife crime.

She said: "If these deaths were caused in any other way they would be forced into taking action but road deaths are just accepted. If it was anything else they would take action."

Mrs Owen said that it was upsetting to have to press for changes over the issue, but that the new rules would mean very little in the way of interference for most people.

She said: "It is a small inconvenience to some for a very small space of time and this could save their life."

She added: "When you hear all the arguments against it – 'so-and-so gives my son a lift to college', it just infuriates you. How do people not understand that your son could be the one who dies?

"People just cannot accept that it could happen to them."

Edmund King, director of the AA Charitable Trust, said: “Support for GDL is high among drivers and their top priority would be to introduce passenger restrictions. Parents tell us that this would help them to restrict their teenagers from taking passengers or being passengers with an inexperienced driver.

“The introduction of passenger restrictions would help mitigate the increased risk young drivers have to manage when they have peer-aged passengers travelling with them. A six-month restriction is a small price to pay for saving young lives.

“There is a great swell of support for the introduction of GDL so this Government has a real opportunity to make it happen and save lives.

“The very recent inquest into the tragic deaths of four young men is a stark reminder that action needs to be taken to protect young lives, and it needs to be taken sooner rather than later.”

Sharron Huddleston, who formed the Forget-me-not Families Uniting group from those like herself who have lost loved ones in crashes, said: “Graduated licences are a crucial issue. How many more young people need to die before action is taken?

“Our message is simple – listen to us, listen to the experts, listen to the AA, 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. My daughter, Caitlin, would be alive today if action had been taken when the concept of graduated licences was floated years ago.”

A DfT spokesperson said: “Every death on our roads is a tragedy and our thoughts remain with the families of everyone who has lost a loved one in this way.

“Whilst we are not considering Graduated Driving Licences, we absolutely recognise that young people are disproportionately victims of tragic incidents on our roads, and we are considering other measures to tackle this problem and protect young drivers.

“That’s why we are committed to delivering a new Road Safety Strategy – the first in over a decade – and will set out next steps on this in due course.”