Young driver deaths debated in Parliament
Family members of young people killed in road crashes say they are "disappointed" and "angry" that the government has ruled out graduated driving licences.MPs held a debate on road safety for young drivers on Tuesday, and discussed restrictions on newly-qualified motorists.Mia Pullen, sister of 17 year-old Eliot Pullen who died alongside two friends in Marcham, Oxfordshire, said graduated licences would have prevented Eliot's death.The government said it was not considering introducing such licences but was "determined" to tackle the issue of road deaths "without unfairly penalising young drivers".
Mia Pullen and her parents are part of Forget Me Not Families Uniting - a group of more than 100 people who have lost loved ones to collisions involving young drivers.The graduated licence scheme they are advocating would include banning 17 to 19-year-old drivers from carrying younger passengers, a late-night driving curfew for the first six months after passing and a minimum learning period.Ms Pullen attended the debate in Westminster Hall along with Sam Robinson, from Farnborough, Hampshire, whose son Billy, 17, was killed in a crash alongside driver Charlie Hopkins in 2021.
Ms Pullen said the debate had been "very emotional", but added she was "disappointed" the government was not considering graduated driving licences.Thomas Johnson was travelling at speeds of up to 100mph before his car hit a tree in the village of Marcham, Oxfordshire, killing Elliot and the other passengers Ethan Goddard and Daniel Hancock, both 18.Johnson, 19, was jailed for nine years and four months at Oxford Crown Court in December after pleading guilty to three counts of causing death by dangerous driving."If the graduated driving licence was in place, Elliot would still be here with us today," Ms Pullen said."[Johnson] would not have been able to carry passengers. He would not have been able to drive at midnight, he would not have been able to drive such a high-powered car. "So that's three variables that would have prevented my brother's death."Ms Robinson said the debate left her feeling "angry". "Sadly, one of our leaders of this country will have to experience - or lose - one of their family members in a road traffic accident to do something about it."[Young people] need protecting and safeguarding and this is what the graduated driving licence will do."
'Public concern'
Speaking after the debate, Liberal Democrat MP for Henley and Thame, Freddie van Mierlo, said his party was calling for more education for young drivers.He said "heart-wrenching stories" had been shared by MPs."As a father it's something you can only imagine the impact it has on families and that was a really important aspect of the debate to hear."He said he favoured some aspects of graduated driving licences."[Our strategy] would encompass a lot of things but we would need to look at all the measures around to see what the most effective are."Responding for the government, the roads minister, Lilian Greenwood, told the debate it was an area of "huge public concern"."Whilst we are not considering graduated licences, we absolutely recognise that young people are disproportionately victims of tragic collisions on our roads,"That is why we are exploring options to tackle the root causes of this without unfairly penalising young drivers."
Drive Fast Die YoungThe story of a teenage road death told by his family and first respondershttps://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m001xpft/drive-fast-die-young
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