Support grows for phased driving licence system
Wed, 26 Jul 2023
Almost two third of people support the implementation of a new phased driving licencing system for young drivers on UK roads.
That's according to new research by road safety charity, Brake and AXA UK who are calling for a system that would include a minimum learning period, a lower blood alcohol limit and restrictions on the number of similarly-aged passengers a newly licenced driver can carry.
Currently, more than 1500 people aged 17 to 24 are killed or seriously injured on UK roads annually, despite accounting for only 6% of all driving licence holders.
Phased systems have proven successful in reducing road deaths and injuries in other countries, as seen in New Zealand, where car crash injuries for 15-19-year-olds were reduced by 23% and 20-24-year-olds by 12%.
Sharron Huddleston, a bereaved mother and road safety campaigner, shared her story of losing her 18-year-old daughter Caitlin in a tragic car accident.
Caitlin's friend, the driver, had obtained her licence just four months before the crash and both young girls lost their lives. The young, novice driver wasn't speeding but the road was wet and she lost control on entering a bend on a rural road.
The car spun and collided into a van travelling in the opposite direction. At the Inquest in 2018, the Coroner put the crash down to the inexperience of the newly qualified driver.
"I know through evidence-based research that a phased licencing law could have saved Caitlin and her friend’s lives, and the many other young lives that have been tragically lost on our roads too," says Huddleston.
Ross Moorlock, interim CEO at Brake, stressed the urgency of implementing this type of licencing system and called on the government to prioritise the safety of young drivers.
According to the research, 63% of drivers surveyed expressed support for a phased or progressive licencing system, while only 16% were against it, demonstrating strong public backing for such measures.
"Brake has long been calling for this type of licencing to be introduced. We need a system in place that is designed to help and support people as they learn to drive," says Moorlock.
"We ask the government to ensure that in another six years we aren’t still asking for a system that we know could help safeguard young and new drivers on our roads," he added.
The report also calls for clearer speed limit signs along with increased driver education and awareness of stopping distances.
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