Latest news with #youngDrivers
BBC News
2 days ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
Broadstairs mum meeting MPs over graduated driver campaign
The mother of a teenager who died in a crash in Kent is meeting MPs to promote a campaign which would see young new drivers become subject to stricter Entwistle, from Broadstairs, lost her son Ethan two days before his 19th birthday when the car he was a passenger in crashed into a Entwistle is among a group of bereaved families who will meet MPs on Thursday to advance the case for graduated driver want to extend the learner driver period, ban new drivers aged 17-19 from carrying "peer-aged" passengers for six months and make motorway and rural road experience mandatory during lessons. Ms Entwistle said: "We hope that all the MPs we speak to will back us."She said that the campaign petition, which had just over 103,000 signatures when first brought to Parliament in April, now has nearly 108,000 supporters. "Our main hope is they [MPs] actually formalise and put graduated driving licences in place," Ms Entwistle said, adding: "I won't stop pushing until something changes."According to national road safety charity IAM RoadSmart, a fifth of all collisions in 2023 involved a young driver."Statistics also show that young male drivers are proportionately most likely to have an accident in between the age of 16 and 24," said spokesperson Harriet Hernando.A campaign by Ms Entwistle and other local residents saw Kent County Council introduce extra speed restriction measures around the site where Ethan crashed on Dumpton Park efforts have been made to get a community speedwatch group up and running. This went live in March, meaning there is now a police-issued speed monitoring device near the driver of the car Ethan was a passenger in admitted to causing death by dangerous driving on Tuesday. The Department for Transport said it recognised the increased risks faced by young people on the roads but it was "not considering graduated driving licences".
The Independent
29-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Almost 300 killed or badly hurt by speeding drivers in N Ireland in four years
Almost 300 people have been killed or seriously injured by speeding drivers across Northern Ireland in recent years. From 2019 to 2023, 30 people were killed and 267 people were seriously hurt in collisions caused by speeding. According to the figures from the Department for Infrastructure, young people, aged between 16 and 24, accounted for 41% of those killed or seriously injured due to speeding in that time, while males accounted for 64%. They also show 70% of serious speeding collisions happened on rural roads, and that males were responsible for over three-quarters (77%). The Newry, Mourne and Down local government district had the highest annual rate (6.5) of speeding casualties per 100,000 resident population, while Belfast had the lowest (1). Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins described the figures as a 'sad and stark reminder to us all of the human cost of speeding' and urged a change in behaviour on the roads. 'Too many people are affected by serious road traffic collisions in our communities,' she said. 'Sadly, these figures show that young people and males are disproportionately affected – our children, among them our brothers, fathers and sons. ' One of the best ways to fulfil our long-term goal of eliminating death and serious injury by 2050 is by changing road user behaviour. 'We must all slow down and take better care on our roads. 'Today's figures are another sad and stark reminder of the importance of reducing our speed as road users because this will in turn help to reduce the number of families devastated by serious road traffic collisions.' DUP MLA Deborah Erskine, who chairs the Assembly Infrastructure Committee, said the figures should provoke a more co-ordinated approach to making our roads safer. 'These statistics make for sobering reading,' she said. 'Behind each of these figures is a family left grieving or a person living with life-altering injuries. My thoughts are with all those who have suffered loss or trauma. 'As chair of the Infrastructure Committee, I am calling for greater urgency and coordination between the minister and all stakeholders, including the PSNI. 'Tackling speeding must be a strategic priority, not just a policing issue, with a cross-departmental approach, involving education and enforcement. One death on our roads is one too many. 'There is a role for all of us. Slowing down, staying alert, and respecting other road users are basic responsibilities that save lives. We need to change attitudes, especially among those who see speed as a measure of confidence or skill. It isn't – it is a killer.'
