Have your say! Should new young drivers face tighter restrictions on the road?

The AA thinks that a "graduated driving licensing" would save lives

New, young drivers should face tighter restrictions on the roads, according to the AA. One of those restrictions would be banning them from carrying passengers of a similar age, amid concern from a coroner about young drivers after four teenagers were killed in a car crash in North Wales last year.

Have your say! Should newer, younger drivers face more controls on what they can and can't do on the roads? What do you think about the young drivers that you know? Comment below, and join in on the conversation.

The AA's idea is to introduce a "graduated driving license" (GDL), like those seen in the US, Canada, Australia and Sweden. This would change how new drivers are treated on the roads for a period of time, at which point they would become ordinary road users.

A GDL would prevent new drivers from being able to carry passengers of a similar age to them for six months after passing their test. The AA also wants 6 points on a license for not wearing a seatbelt, which means that a license would be revoked immediately for anyone who passed a test in the last two years.

To help the police identify "graduate" drivers, the AA proposed a "G" plate to be displayed on their car's number plate, instead of the standard number plate.

They estimate that at least 58 lives would be saved and 934 fewer people would be seriously injured in road crashes each year if the GDL was introduced. 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 in 2019, it was announced that the DfT were looking at the graduated driving license, but the study was discontinued after concerns about the potential impact on young peoples' employment.

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.”

Have your say! Should newer, younger drivers face more controls on what they can and can't do on the roads? What do you think about the young drivers that you know? Comment below, and join in on the conversation.