Minister recognises bereaved parents’ campaign at National Road Safety Conference
- Rebecca Morris
- Nov 4
- 2 min read
The National Road Safety Conference 2025 marked a significant milestone in the campaign to see young drivers better protected when they first get behind the wheel.
The event, held in Bedfordshire on 4-5 November, brought together more than 350 road safety professionals from across the UK.
Minister acknowledges Forget-me-not Families Uniting
The conference opened with a video message from Road Safety Minister Lilian Greenwood MP (pictured above), who spoke about one of the hardest parts of her job - meeting bereaved families whose loved ones have been killed in road crashes.
She went on to mention the Forget-me-not Families Uniting group by name - a growing network of bereaved parents whose children were killed in crashes involving young, novice drivers. These families are calling for urgent changes to the driver licensing system to better protect young people and prevent further heartbreak.
For the Minister to recognise the group publicly marks a significant moment. It shows that these families are being heard. It is hoped that the forthcoming Road Safety Strategy will include long-overdue reforms to strengthen the way new drivers are licensed and supported.
A full conference session dedicated to Graduated Driving Licensing
On day two, an entire agenda session was dedicated to Graduated Driving Licensing (GDL) and novice drivers - the internationally proven system that reduces young driver collisions and fatalities.
Speakers included:
Dr Ian Greenwood - Are we there yet with Graduated Driver Licensing in Britain?
Dr Elizabeth Box, RAC Foundation - Exploring young people’s attitudes to GDL
Sarah Hammill (Safer Essex Roads Partnership) & Chris Simes (Collingwood Learning) - Using Road Safety Theatre in Education to bring GDL to life
Dr Ruth Madigan, University of Leeds - Hazard anticipation training for novice drivers
Dr Simon Christmas & Dr Shaun Helman, TRL - Equality in the driving test
Prof Bani Anvari, UCL, & Prof John Beckford, Loughborough University and UCL - Quantifying safe and responsible driving behaviour
Dr Maaike Esselaar, Manchester Metropolitan University - Can visual feedback improve young drivers’ behaviour?
Rebecca Morris, Vision Zero Communications - Unveiling the Protect Young Drivers website: a new shared resource. During the event, Rebecca also distributed hundreds of flyers promoting the Protect Young Drivers website to delegates, helping raise awareness of this growing collaborative movement.
The session concluded with a thoughtful panel discussion, reflecting a shared commitment to change.
A united call for reform
With policymakers, academics, practitioners and campaigners all aligned in their message, the conference underscored what so many already know - that change is long overdue.
To learn more or to support the campaign, visit www.protectyoungdrivers.com
