AA calls on Government to BAN new young drivers carrying passengers their age
The motoring organisation said the introduction of a new type of driving licence would help to avoid 'tragic waste of life' in crashes involving young drivers
by Catherine Addison-Swan, Neil Lancefield, PA · ChronicleLiveThe AA has called for a new law that would see drivers under the age of 21 banned from carrying passengers of a similar age for the first six months after passing their test, saying the change would be "a small price to pay for saving young lives".
The motoring organisation has proposed that drivers younger than 21 should have a 'G' plate displayed on their cars for this six-month period to highlight the fact that they are a 'graduate' driver. This would be one of the rules required for a Graduated Driving Licence (GDL), a measure already used for newly qualified young drivers in other countries including the US, Canada, Australia and Sweden.
Other requirements of this licence would include the six-month ban on carrying passengers of a similar age, as well as for drivers to be handed six penalty points for not wearing a seatbelt during the same period - which would mean they lose their licence. The AA said it estimates that introducing a GDL in the UK would help to save at least 58 lives lost in road crashes each year, as well as preventing 934 people being seriously injured.
AA chief executive Jakob Pfaudler said: "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.
"Graduated driver licensing has been proven in other countries to significantly reduce road deaths and serious injuries. 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.”
Department for Transport (DfT) figures show 290 people were killed and 4,669 were seriously injured in crashes on Britain's roads last year involving at least one driver aged 17-24. Under the Conservative government, the DfT announced in July 2019 it was considering introducing GDL in England, but the assessment was halted in autumn 2020 - partly because of the potential impact on young people's employment.
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."
Last week, senior coroner for north-west Wales Kate Robertson raised concerns about young, newly qualified drivers carrying passengers after an inquest into the deaths of four teenagers who drowned when their car rolled into a ditch in November last year.
Edmund King, director of the AA Charitable Trust, added: "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."
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