'It will save lives, but more needs to be done': Bereaved Shropshire parents whose children died in road crashes react to government proposal to bolster experience of young drivers
Bereaved Shropshire parents whose children have died in tragic road crashes believe new measures to make young drivers more experienced could save lives - but insist more still needs to be done.
Several families in the county have been involved in campaigning for graduated driving licences, with the hope that young and inexperienced drivers would not carry passengers until several months after passing their tests. The initiative has been hugely successful in terms of reducing the number of deaths in other nations.
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The government has stopped short of that, however it has committed to holding a consultation on introducing a three or six month minimum learning period, giving learner drivers more time to develop their skills in varied conditions such as night driving, adverse weather, and heavy traffic.
International evidence suggests minimum learning periods could reduce collisions by up to 32 per cent.
Shrewsbury mum Crystal Owen’s son Harvey died aged 17 along with three friends, who were also from the county town, in a crash in Snowdonia in November 2023.
Since Harvey died she has been campaigning tirelessly for safety measures for young drivers, and she met local transport minister Lillian Greenwood this week.
Of the minimum learning period, Crystal said: “That is going to help and it will save lives.
“The evidence is there that as soon as they get their peer aged passengers, that’s when deaths skyrocket.
“They are bringing in lots of good things that are positive.
“We asked for six months (for the minimum learning period). That will need to be a set number of hours.”
Crystal said she expects some might be concerned with the cost implications of extra lessons, but suggested hours could be logged with an experienced, advanced driver who isn’t necessarily an instructor.
