New young drivers may be banned from giving their friends a lift
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Young drivers might be banned from picking up their mates and giving them a lift under new legislation aimed at stopping crashes influenced by peer pressure.
It might seem quite drastic, but the statistics aren’t great for the young drivers out there.
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Despite young drivers making up only six percent of total licence holders in the UK, they account for one out of every five serious or fatal crashes.
With that in mind, there are calls to have a look at the current licensing rules, meaning that new and young drivers might have extra criteria on them.
These plans include the introduction of a ‘graduated driving licence’ which would place extra rules on young drivers – specifically under the age of 25 - after they qualify, including not having passengers under a certain age for 12 months after attaining their licence.
Critics have pointed out that the under 25s on the road account for less crashes than the over 85s, although no-one is talking about banning them from driving.
However, groups such as Support for Victims of Road Crashes, which acts in an advisory capacity to the Department for Transport, has backed the plans.
Amongst other supporters of the proposed plans is Sharron Huddleston from Cumbria, who lost her 18-year-old daughter Caitlin in a tragic car crash while she was getting a lift from a mate who passed her test just four-months beforehand.
They both died in the crash, and it has obviously left a devastating mark on her mother.
She told The Times: "It has left a huge, gaping hole in our family.
"Every Christmas, every birthday, it is just devastating."
"There is nothing I can do to bring Caitlin back but I am determined, in her memory, to ensure that no other family goes through the pain and agony that we go through every day."
There will be a meeting on the new plans – attended by both Sharron and Roads Minister Richard Holden – on 16 May, at which the Road Traffic (New Drivers) Act will be considered.
Other plans include graduated learning, where drivers are tested in different conditions representing a fuller range of states that they might experience.
As it stands, drivers have to pass a probationary period of two years where they are only allowed six points on their licence before having it revoked.
Road safety charity Brake said that new drivers carrying passengers of a similar age are four times more likely to get involved in a fatal car crash when compared with driving on their own.
590 young drivers and 375 passengers under the age of 25 died in car crashes between 2014 and 2020.
Currently, new drivers in Ireland must display an ‘N’ for ‘novice’ sticker on their car for two years after qualifying, as well as abiding by probationary rules such as a lower drink-driving threshold.
In other countries, young motorists must be accompanied by someone with more experience at night and obey passenger number restrictions.
The Department for Transport said: "Every death or serious injury on our roads is a tragedy and we continue to work tirelessly to improve road safety for all users.
“Our approach to improving safety for new and novice drivers is through new technology and improving education, while reinforcing vital road safety messages through our Think! campaign.”
