Bereaved families call for urgent action on young driver safety

On April 2, 2025, bereaved mother Crystal Owen hand-delivered a petition to 10 Downing Street, calling for the urgent introduction of Graduated Driving Licensing (GDL) in the UK.

Crystal’s 17-year-old son, Harvey, was tragically killed in a road crash in November 2023 alongside three teenage friends.Since then, more than 100,000 people have added their names to her petition, supporting the introduction of a phased licensing system designed to reduce young driver and passenger deaths.

She was joined by fellow bereaved mothers including Bridget Lucas, Alison Greenhouse, Joanne Alkir, Nicola Bell, Naomi Crane, Sharron Huddleston and Nicole Taylor. 

Together they represent Forget-me-not Families Uniting – a growing group of more than 220 mums and dads whose children have died in road collisions involving young drivers. They are campaigning for action to reduce what they describe as an “unacceptable and disproportionately high number” of fatalities involving young people.

Had GDL been introduced when it was first recommended decades ago, lives could have been saved. That includes, they believe, their own children.

GDL is designed to support new drivers through a period of elevated crash risk, typically by introducing restrictions and additional learning stages during the first months of independent driving. 

While exact models vary internationally, schemes often include measures such as limits on night-time driving and carrying peer-age passengers.

In countries where GDL has been introduced, it has been shown to reduce crash risk for novice drivers. A recent review found that the most comprehensive schemes have cut collisions involving young drivers by more than 40%.

Despite this, the UK Government has confirmed that it is not considering the introduction of GDL.The families involved in the campaign say their motivation is simple: to stop others experiencing the same devastating loss.