A dad from West Yorkshire whose daughter was killed by a speeding driver has joined 40 other bereaved parents to demand restrictions on young drivers.
Dr Ian Greenwood, whose daughter Alice was 12 when she died due to a speeding driver, is demanding action to tackle the high number of young driver and passenger deaths on UK roads.
The parents, whose loved ones were all killed by cars driven by young drivers, have formed a campaign group, Forget-me-not Families Uniting, calling on the Government to save young lives.
Read more:Driver ‘may have accelerated after fainting’ moments before crash killed Huddersfield schoolgirl
Alice, daughter of Ian, of Leeds, and Juliette, formerly of Emley, near Huddersfield, tragically died in 2008 when she was being driven back to Yorkshire after a trip to Alton Towers. Her mum and sister, Clara, were badly injured, and two young men in speeding Vauxhall Corsa were killed.
The crash was caused by a convoy of five speeding cars. Several young people received custodial sentences for their part on the fatal crash and for telling lies about what happened.
Her family remember Alice as a ‘beautiful, bright and amazing’ girl who had the ability to get along with everyone she met.
Dr Greenwood, who has since devoted his life to road safety, says that for decades, governments have been repeatedly presented with the evidence on how to reduce the huge risks facing young, newly qualified drivers aged 17–24 and their passengers, but they have all failed to act.
In Britain, young drivers between the ages of 17 and 24 are involved in 24% of all collisions resulting in death or serious injury, even though this group accounts for just 7% of the total driving population.
In 2022, 4,935 people were killed or seriously injured in crashes involving at least one young driver – this includes other road users of all ages, such as people travelling in separate cars or pedestrians.
Data has shown that drivers under the age of 24 are more likely to have crashes when they are carrying similar-aged passengers in their car, when driving at night and when driving conditions are difficult.
In response to this evidence, several countries, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand and many US states, have successfully introduced Graduated Driving Licensing, which restricts the number of similar-aged passengers a young driver can carry in the car, as well as night-time driving.
In these countries, there has been a reduction in deaths and serious injuries in crashes involving young drivers of between 20% and 40%, following the introduction of Graduated Driving Licensing.
Forget-me-not Families Uniting is calling for:
- The introduction of Graduated Driving Licensing to reduce road death and serious injury
- An expert panel to advise the Government on how Graduated Driving Licensing in the UK should look
Forget-me-not Families Uniting was formed by Sharron Huddleston, Chris and Nicole Taylor and Dr Ian Greenwood after years of campaigning for the introduction of a Graduated Driving Licensing system in the UK, following the deaths of their daughters.
Dr Greenwood, who has a PhD in road safety policy, said: “The evidence for Graduated Driving Licensing is strong and has been available for many years, and I hope politicians will listen to the experts and act.
“Graduated Driving Licensing was first debated in the House of Commons in 1993, and my (forever) 12-year-old daughter was killed in a young driver crash in 2008. Had politicians acted before then, or over the decades since, and not simply debated, Alice might very well be looking forward to her 28th birthday this year.
“Between 20% and 40% of other bereaved parents might still have their children too. Politicians need to decide whether they will continue to ignore the evidence and calls from parents, or finally take action.”
MPs have discussed the increased risk of young driver crashes since at least 1993 and successive UK governments have failed to introduce any type of licensing changes, citing concerns around the restriction of young people’s freedom.
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However, a report in 2018 by the Transport Research Laboratory concluded that Graduated Driving Licensing not only saves lives and reduces serious injuries, but it also saves millions of pounds.
In 2022, experts at the RAC Foundation confirmed that Graduated Driving Licensing improves road safety while having minimal impact on new drivers’ access to education, employment and social activities.
Forget-me-not Families Uniting has the backing of charities including Huddersfield-based road safety charity Brake.
The charities said: “We’re proud to come together to back these families and this growing movement. These families deserve to be heard and we hope to see action finally taken by the Government.
“We welcome other families to join this campaign and help us to stop these unnecessary deaths and serious injuries, just as other countries have.”
Any families who would like like to join the group can email campaigns@brake.org.uk for more information.
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