The UK government is considering calls to ban new drivers under the age of 25 from carrying young passengers as part of a ¡°graduated driving licence¡± scheme.
But why? The decision is being taken in a bid to cut down the number of car crashes. So, drivers below the age of 25won't be able to give a lift to friends or siblings in their vehicle for the first 6 months to a year of driving.
One in five drivers crash within a year of passing their test, according to road safety charity Brake, whose figures suggest that new drivers carrying passengers of a similar age are four times as likely to die in a crash than those driving alone.
As a result, countries including Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden and some US states have brought in graduated licensing schemes for those who have only recently passed their test, which can include lower alcohol limits and restrictions on driving at night or with other passengers under a certain age.
Previous governments in the UK did not try to implement the plans because they felt that curfew or limits on driving at night would impact the ability of young people to work. The scheme, however, garnered significant support from UK citizens.
But it has now emerged that Rishi Sunak's roads minister Richard Holden is set to meet with Sharron Huddleston, who has campaigned to tighten the rules on carrying young passengers.?Huddlestone's 18-year-old daughter Caitlin died in a friend's car in 2017. The friend passed her test four months prior to the accident.
Speaking about her campaign, 52-year-old Huddleston told the Sunday Times, "It has left a huge, gaping hole in our family. Every Christmas, every birthday, it is just devastating. 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."
Radd Seiger, a crisis consultant who secured justice for the family of Harry Dunn, the 19-year-old killed by American driver Anne Sacoolas, will also attend the meeting.
The scheme could be implemented via the Road Traffic (New Drivers) Act, which imposes a probation period on new drivers who get their licence revoked if they get six penalty points within two years of passing.
More experienced drivers have 12 points to lose before their licence is taken away, according to the Road Traffic (New Drivers) Act.
The Road Traffic (New Drivers) Act could be amended to implement the new rule, and new drivers could be banned from carrying young passengers for six or 12 months.
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