Latest news with #THINK!
BBC News
29-04-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Graduated licences could 'prevent' young driver crashes, mum says
A woman who lost her 18-year-old son in a crash says graduated licences for young drivers could "prevent another parent" going through what she Pain, 18, died alongside his passenger, Harry Smith, 17, near North Nibley, Gloucestershire, when he crashed his car in Pain, Oliver's mum, is now calling for graduated driving licences to be introduced, which would mean young drivers could not carry passengers under the age of 25 until they have been driving for six months, or turn Department for Transport told the BBC last week that although it is not considering graduated licences, its THINK! campaign focuses on the safety of male drivers aged 17-24. Graduated licences already exist in Australia, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, and some US UK campaign also calls for all cars to be fitted with a tool to smash a window if occupants became trapped, and for those who flout the rules to be given six penalty Pain said restrictions could "save lives" and is campaigning to help other parents of young drivers."It's awful losing a child and if it's something I can do and somebody might listen and it prevents another parent going through what myself and my husband and my family go through, it's got to help," she told BBC Radio Gloucestershire. 'Time gains experience' Mrs Pain believes there is "too much red tape" stopping graduated licences from being introduced in now, she said young drivers should not take passengers if they do not feel "comfortable or ready"."Children are taught to drive and taught to pass their test but it's time which gains their experience on the road," she said."If Oliver wasn't taking that passenger, he, possibly, wouldn't have been on that road where they sadly both lost their lives. "That we will never know but [we need to] keep both passenger and driver safe as much as we can."
BBC News
23-04-2025
- BBC News
Driving restrictions for young people needed to 'save lives'
A mother whose 20-year-old son died alongside two teenagers in a car crash is calling for graduated driving licences to be introduced in the Lucas, from Cricklade in Wiltshire, is campaigning for tighter rules for young drivers, such as restrictions on having passengers, after her son Lawrence Bruce died in a crash caused by fatigue in August 2022."Every occasion such as birthdays, Christmases, watching other people graduate, seeing his friends have children - everything like that is so hard that he's not here to do it," Ms Lucas Department for Transport said it was focussing on its THINK! road safety campaign and had no plans to introduce graduated licences. Mr Bruce was returning from a music event in Oxfordshire when the car he was in crashed on the A420 in August 2022. He died at the scene alongside fellow passenger Joseph Sharpe and the car's driver Callum Leighton, who were both 18. The car's two other passengers survived."Nobody really knows what happened," Ms Lucas told BBC Radio Wiltshire."Everybody was asleep in the car," she said. "We think the driver probably fell asleep too and veered into an oncoming coach."An inquest in February 2023 concluded the crash was caused by fatigue. When asked if she has any resentment towards the driver, Ms Lucas said: "Absolutely not, no.""The driver had not been drinking. The driver was young. He was inexperienced," she added."We know that young people's brains are not mature until they're about 25."It wasn't his fault. There was nothing to stop him driving. It's just sadly - very sadly - one of those things." Ms Lucas described her son as a natural entertainer and music lover who was "full of life" and who "completed the family". He was studying business at Bournemouth University and would have turned 23 this Lucas said she had joined other bereaved families to campaign for graduated driving licences to stop more families going through similar experiences."Losing a child, for anybody, is clearly hard," she said. "Losing a child where, arguably, it could be prevented by a change in the law... it's not going to save all lives, but it could save so many. That's really my focus."Let's make some change. Stop these deaths."Graduated driving licences already exist in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, some US states, Finland, Norway, Sweden, France and Northern Lucas is calling for a UK-wide version to be rolled out which would mean new drivers could not carry passengers under the age of 25 until they have been driving for six months, or have turned 20."It's to stop young people having a group of friends in a car when they don't have the experience to handle the distractions," Ms Lucas said."It's just about giving them some time to drive on their own and improve their own skills before they have the responsibility of having passengers in the car." The restrictions explained The overall campaign is led by Crystal Owen, from Shrewsbury, who lost her 17-year-old son Harvey when he was a passenger in a car that crashed in north Wales in November 2023. Three other teenagers were also campaign is calling for:A minimum six-month learning period for learner drivers before they are eligible for a practical the first six months after passing their test, or until they turn 20, drivers should not carry passengers aged 25 or under unless accompanied by an older adultAll cars must be fitted with a tool that could smash open a window if a car is trapped, to allow occupants to escape to the rules would result in six penalty points, leading to immediate licence suspension. Six mothers of road crash victims, including Ms Lucas and Ms Owen, have now delivered a petition calling for stricter driving laws to Downing Street after it was signed by more than 100,000 the event, Ms Lucas said she heard from more parents who wanted to support it."The group has now got well over 100 members," she said. MP for the South Cotswolds, Dr Roz Savage, said the work Ms Lucas has done to raise awareness was "admirable".However, she added restrictions may "unfairly disadvantage" young people in rural areas where public transport is "often non-existent".Ms Lucas argued the temporary restrictions are designed to save lives and not disadvantage, adding: "There is no greater disadvantage than having no life." A Department for Transport 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."We are determined to tackle this, including through our THINK! campaign, which has a focus on men aged 17-24 as they are four times more likely to be killed or seriously injured than other drivers."
