Parliamentary drop-in event highlights urgent need to protect young drivers

Pictured at Portcullis House from left to right: Rebecca Morris, Road Safety Campaigner; Elizabeth Box, RAC Foundation; Richard King, Ticker Insurance; Leanne McMahon, NFCC; David Allen, PCC Cumbria; Shaun Helman, TRL; Joy Allen, PCC Durham & APCC; Neale Kinnear, Transport Psychologist; Philip Seccombe, PCC Warwickshire & APCC; Chris Lewis, Warwickshire PCC's Office; Luca Straker, Brake; Commander Kyle Gordon, NPCC

A Parliamentary drop-in event titled “Protecting Young Drivers” took place today, bringing together bereaved families, emergency services, public health professionals, and road safety experts to highlight the continued toll of road crashes involving young drivers.

The event was attended by a wide range of professionals and campaigners, including representatives from the police, fire service, NHS, academic and research institutions, and road safety organisations. Many of the bereaved families in attendance were members of Forget-me-not Families Uniting, a group of parents campaigning for better protection for young and novice drivers. Each family has experienced the devastating loss of a child in a road crash and is united in calling for change to prevent further tragedies. The collective message was clear: action is urgently needed to reduce the number of preventable deaths and serious injuries involving young drivers.

Together, they emphasised the importance of introducing evidence-based measures, such as a form of Graduated Driving Licensing (GDL), which has drastically reduced road crashes in other countrie, to improve outcomes for young drivers and other road users.

In 2023, collisions involving a young driver resulted in 4,959 people being killed or seriously injured. These incidents affected not only the young drivers and their passengers but also pedestrians, cyclists, and occupants of other vehicles.

Among the professionals in attendance were:

• Commander Kyle Gordon, National Police Chiefs' Council

• Leanne McMahon, National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC)

• Joy Allen, Durham Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) and Association of Police and Crime Commissioners

• Philip Seccombe, Warwickshire PCC

• David Allen, Cumbria PCC

• Edmund King OBE, The AA

• Elizabeth Box, RAC Foundation

• Dr Shaun Helman, TRL

• Luca Straker, Brake, the road safety charity

• Dr Tim Nutbeam, Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust

• Dr Neale Kinnear, Transport Psychologist

• Richard King, CEO, Ticker

• Jamie Hassall, Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety

• Dr Sarah Jones, Public Health Wales

Pictured from left to right: Bereaved family members Crystal Owen, Nicola Bell-Percy, Chris Taylor, Nicole Taylor, Sharron Huddleston, Luke Duggan, Jessica Duggan, Mia Pullen, Mike Huddleston, Kate Pullen, Naomi Crane, Jenny Challen, Keena Rayma, Harriet Challen and Jo Alkir.