Calls growing for the adoption of Graduated Drivers Licences, including proposals that young drivers should not carry under 21s as passengers.
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In our Manifesto, A Transport Network Fit for All Our Futures, we are clear that everyone should be able to travel safely and to feel safe while travelling. As part of this objective, CIHT has been working closely on developing solutions to help ensure that the number of people killed and seriously injured on UK roads is reduced. CIHT published a policy briefing on speed management and is currently working on a report on Progressing the UK Towards Safe System Implementation.
As the road safety community awaits a new national transport strategy, it is hoped that ambitious new policies are introduced to help ensure that roads can be travelled more safely. Momentum has been building around calls for Graduated Drivers Licences (GDLs), which are a type of driving licence that involve a phased approach to driving which builds experience and competence to help minimise risk to novice drivers.
In May, 33 organisations, including CIHT, supported the PACTS Manifesto for Road Safety 2024, which called for the introduction of GDL.
The Department for Transport has reported that in 2023 1,624 people died on roads in Great Britain, 23% of those killed were young people aged 17 to 29 years old.
Antoneta Horbury, Director of Policy and Technical Affairs at CIHT said:
Graduated driving licences are a progressive licencing system that can support young drivers in limiting high-risk driving. This measure can reduce fatalities by up to 40%. CIHT support Graduated Driving Licences in principle, but would like to see the specific details of how they will be implemented and enforced.
This week, The Chief Executive of AA, Jakob Pfaudler, has written to the Transport Secretary Louise Hague to call for the UK government to introduce Graduated Drivers Licences.
The AA has launched its policy on GDL, which would mean:
New drivers under the age of 21 would not be allowed to carry peer-age passengers, for 6 months after passing their test, with exemptions for parents/carers.
New drivers would face six points for not wearing a seatbelt effectively making new drivers lose their licence for this offence.
New drivers under 21 would display a ‘G’ plate (denoting Graduate driver) for the first six months after passing their test to aid police enforcement.
The AA has argued that at least 58 lives could be saved annually by the introduction of GDL. The AA is among a number of organisations calling for the introduction of GDL, including the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS),the RAC Foundation and Brake.
In April 2024, A group of 40 bereaved parents formed a campaigning group called Forget-me-not Families Uniting, calling on the Government to save young lives.
In October, the RAC Foundation published a proposal on Safe mobility for young people. Elizabeth Box, CIHT Fellow, Technical Champion and Research Director at the RAC Foundation said:
The RAC Foundation welcomes the increasing support for the introduction of a Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) scheme in the UK. Our recent proposal highlights a practical and proportionate approach, focusing on 17-19 year olds with measures such as a six-month minimum learning period and restrictions on carrying young passengers. We estimate that these changes could save up to 44 lives a year. It is encouraging to see many organisations calling for GDL, as a collective push will help to crystallise public opinion and advance this vital road safety measure.
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