UK drivers under 21 'should be banned from carrying other young passengers for six months'

The AA wants young drivers to be subjected to additional rules that could see them lose their licence if they do not follow them - and experts say this move could save lives

Drivers under 21 who just passed their tests should be banned from carrying other young passengers for their first six months, the AA has said.

The British motoring association said tough new rules targeted at young drivers could prevent as many as 934 serious injuries and save 58 lives on roads across the UK. AA bosses added they wanted to hand six penalty points for not wearing a seatbelt during this time period, resulting in a loss of licence.

Should the new rules be introduced, it would bring the UK in line with other countries with graduated driving licences which are already in effect in the US, Canada and Australia. The proposed changes would only focus on younger drivers, instead of all new drivers such as in Canada.

Campaigner Crystal Ownes whose 17-year-old son Harvey died in a November 2023 car crash with three of his friends as they headed off for a camping trip to Gwynedd, north Wales. She told the BBC's Radio 4's Today programme that she believed a graduated licence would "massively help" to cut the number of accidents on the road.

"There are not many times when having to take your friends in the car is a necessity" she added. "It’s to protect drivers, it’s to save lives, and what is the alternative?" she said. Mrs Own added she has constantly heard of car crashes where young people have been involved. "Their lives [are] gone - for what? For the sake of a few inconveniences for a very long time?"

While graduated driver licences exist in Northern Ireland, they are not in the rest of the UK. According to the BBC, the Department of Transport does not have plans to introduce a similar system across the rest of the UK. Jack Cousens, the AA's head of road police, told BBC Radio 5Live it is notable that deaths and serious injuries reduced by 20 per cent and 40 per cent, respectively, in the countries where the policy was introduced.

He added: "We feel that something has to be done, so we’re going to keep banging this drum. Hopefully the government will change tack and see that, actually, we need to make some changes for younger drivers." A Department of Transportation (DfT) spokesperson told the BBC: "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."