Parliament To Target Young Drivers?

Mon 3rd Aug 2020

Drivers under 25 would be subject to driving curfews, a limit on passengers and restricted speeds if a government committee sees its proposals passed through parliament.

The Transport Committee is to put a range of proposals in front of MPs next month, with the aim of improving road safety, and younger drivers are at the heart of concerns.

According to a report in The Telegraph, a ‘graduated’ licence for drivers could prevent up to 400 deaths or serious injuries a year and save up to £200 million through crash prevention.

Road safety campaigners and charities such as the RAC and Brake will get an opportunity to discuss the proposals, however, speaking to The Daily Mail, AA president Edmund King warned that the proposals should not infringe a young driver’s freedoms.

He said: “Young and novice drivers do face a disproportionate risk on our roads and it is an issue that certainly needs greater focus from government. 

“However, we believe it needs to be looked at in conjunction with the reduction in dedicated roads policing to ensure enforcement of any new measures is practical, as well as improvements to drivers' education pre-test in order to gain the maximum safety benefits without being overly restrictive.

“Placing restrictions on passengers and night time curfews is problematic though as it would penalise those driving for shift work. 

“It is also very hard, especially for an already stretched police force, to enforce passenger restrictions.”

Despite the proposals, latest figures from the Department for Transport suggest that road fatalities in the youngest 17 to 24 bracket are actually going down. There were 88 drivers in that age range who died in 2019, compared to 99 the previous year.