New drivers under the age of 25 would not be able to give their friends lifts under new rules being considered by North West Durham MP Richard Holden next month.
Roads minister Mr Holden will discuss calls for a 'graduated driving licence' which campaigners argue would help to combat peer pressure deaths as young motorists show off to impress their friends. Figures from road safety charity Brake, show that under-25s are four times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash if they are driving with others.
The new restrictions, which will be considered by Mr Holden at a meeting next month, would be an amendment to the Road Traffic (New Drivers) Act, which already bans drivers if they get six points in their first two years of driving. Campaigners are calling for restrictions to ban passengers under the age of 25 in drivers' first year or six months, according to This Is Money.
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The proposal comes following a campaign by a Cumbrian woman whose 18-year-old daughter was killed in a car crash after taking a lift with a friend who had passed her driving test four months before. Sharron Huddleston, 52, told The Sunday Times that her daughter Caitlin's death "left a huge, gaping hole" in the family and she now wants to campaign to keep other young people safe. Caitlin and her friend Skye Mitchell, 18, both died when the car crashed into a van on the A595 in Bootle, Cumbria, in 2017.
Her call has been backed by Support for Victims of Road Crashes - an advisory to the Department of Transport - and National Police Chief's Council Roads Policing lead Jo Shiner, who has even suggested placing technology in new drivers' cars to highlight weaknesses in their driving style.
Proposed schemes to set extra restrictions on newly qualified drivers by imposing curfews and limits of passengers in cars were thrown out by the Department of Transport in January 2022, due to a need to use cars for employment.
According to the RAC, Government statistics show as many as a quarter of new drivers are involved in accidents in their first two years on the road, and in 2021, 926 people were killed or seriously injured in accidents involving a young driver.
In a statement to The Times, the DfT said: 'Every death or serious injury on our roads is a tragedy and we continue to work tirelessly to improve road safety for all users. Our approach to improving safety for new and novice drivers is through new technology and improving education, while reinforcing vital road safety messages through our Think! campaign.'
Mrs Huddleston said: "There is nothing I can do to bring Caitlin back but I am determined, in her memory, to ensure that no other family goes through the pain and agony that we go through every day."
Edmund King, director of the AA Trust, said: "Young drivers are not just a risk to themselves. In 2021, 926 people were killed or seriously injured in crashes involving at least one young driver.
"These heartbreaking crashes have profound consequences. Limiting young drivers' rights to carry other young people as passengers for a period of time immediately after passing their test is a pragmatic move that should save lives. As new drivers gain more 'real life' experience, their risk of crashing reduces."
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