Experts call for licensing changes to protect young drivers
29th May, 2024
Graduated Driving Licences aren’t necessarily a new idea here in the UK – campaigners have been calling for them for some years now. Proponents have pointed out that there’s plenty of evidence for them working in real-world conditions – in New Zealand, for example, there’s been a 23 per cent reduction in car collision injuries for 15 to 19-year-olds, and a 12 per cent reduction for 20 to 24-year-olds.
Now, ministers finally seem to be taking serious notice. That means that if you’re not yet of legal driving age, there’s a chance the rules may well change long before you end up needing to scrap your car.
So, what’s going on, and how might things change in future?
What is a Graduated Driving Licence?
Before we get into anything else, let’s kick off with a quick recap of the definition of Graduated Driving Licences. Basically, it’s a system designed to introduce new drivers to driving in stages, with the aim of reducing accidents. Generally that involves a provisional phase where new drivers face certain restrictions, such as limits on night driving, passenger numbers, or the use of high-performance vehicles, before earning a full licence.
The aim is to help new drivers gain experience under less risky conditions. New Zealand isn’t the only other nation to introduce them – countries which have also seen similar success include Australia, Sweden, and Germany, just to name a few.
Who’s calling for their introduction here in the UK?
One of the most prominent voices is a campaign group called Forget-me-not Families Uniting. It’s made up of families who are still enduring the tragic loss of a relative, often a young one, and all in cases involving young drivers. (It’s worth noting that the latest UK government figures from 2022 suggested a fifth of all fatal or serious injury crashes involved a young driver.)
They’ve been calling on the government for quite some time now to introduce Graduated Driving Licensing, and establish an expert panel to advise the government on how the scheme should work in the UK.
Forget-me-not Families Uniting has the backing of some prestigious charities, including RoadPeace, Brake and The Road Victims’ Trust. What’s more, a public letter was recently sent to the government with some prominent signatories working in academia, transport, science and health, who are calling on “all political parties to commit to taking action on proven evidence-based measures to save young lives.”
What’s the response been?
To be honest, it’s been more encouraging than it’s been in years past – in the last decade or so it’s frequently had a few falls at the first hurdle. Theresa May instructed the Department for Transport to take a look at the idea back in 2018, and a pilot scheme for Northern Ireland was announced around the same time. (That was supposed to begin in 2019/20, but still hasn’t been introduced.) In 2020, the wider UK’s GDL scheme was officially dropped.
However, this latest effort now looks to be picking up some serious steam, to the relief of campaigners. The MP for Batley and Spen, Kim Leadbeater, introduced the bill, dubbed the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (New Drivers) Bill. It had its first reading earlier this month, and as of the time of writing, there’s no further news on it yet. Time will tell if it becomes law!
Whatever happens with Graduated Licences though, you can always rest assured of one thing – here at Scrap Car Network, we’ll always be here to provide you with the very best price on your old car. All you need to do is enter your car reg and postcode into the fields on our site, and we’ll get you an instant online quote before you can say cash for cars. It only takes a few seconds. Curious to find out how much your car is worth?
