Should graduated driving licences be introduced to clampdown on young motorists?
Nearly three quarters of drivers back introducing graduated driving licencesRestrictions on newly-qualified drivers could help reduce teenage road deathsOne in five young drivers crash within a year of passing their test, stats show
Graduated driving licences (GDLs) should be introduced in Britain in a bid to improve road safety among newly-qualified motorists, says the AA.
Ahead of the General Election on Thursday, the motoring association is asking all political parties to address the number of teenage deaths on the roads by limiting peer passengers in the first six months after passing tests.
The call for GDLs is not new, with the AA including the policy in its recent 'Motoring Manifesto', as well as a push from MPs to introduce the measure.
The AA is calling for graduated driving licences (GDLs), in a bid to improve road safety. New Zealand is among the countries where a similar scheme has been introduced
The bill, introduced by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, would impose restrictions on young drivers during the initial six months as a licence-holder
What does a graduate driving licence entail?
A GDL allows new drivers to pass through stages of experience learning and restriction – from winter weather driving to limits on the number of passengers and late night driving – where supervision is required.
As new drivers progress through stages, they gain more privileges until they are granted a full driver's licence after completing all the requirements.
Back in 2013, the RAC outlined a GDL with similar conditions.
The probationary two-year period in which new drivers will have their test revoked if they get six points currently exists today.
GDLs have been backed for years by many safety organisations - and both the AA and RAC.
A GDL lets new drivers gain experience gradually, and reduce the risks that surround inexperienced drivers. The first 1,000 miles a young and inexperienced driver covers are seen as crucial.
New Zealand is among the countries where a similar scheme has been introduced.
Since legislation came in, 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 in the country.
Edmund King OBE, AA president, said: 'Most people don’t realise, until it is too late, that road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults ages five to 29 years according to the World Health Organisation'
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AA calls for graduated driving licence for new drivers
The AA Motoring Manifesto in April found that nearly three quarters of drivers (72 per cent) think a graduate licence limiting passengers is a good idea.
The AA's most recent GDL version would limit newly qualified drivers from having same-age peer passengers for six months once they've passed their test – a policy supported by the AA Driving School and AA Trust.
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An average of five people per day are killed on UK roads and 82 are seriously injured.
But one in five young drivers crash within a year of passing their test and 1,500 young drivers are killed or seriously injured each year.
Especially worryingly, with every extra same-age passenger, you're four times more likely to crash.
Edmund King OBE, AA president, said: 'One of the major issues that needs to be addressed is the needless deaths of young drivers, their passengers and others caught up in these crashes.
'Most people don’t realise, until it is too late, that road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults ages five to 29 years according to the World Health Organisation.
We owe it to the next generation to introduce positive measures that will help give them healthy and prosperous lives.'
Current graduate licence legislation attempts
On 7 May, a new Graduate Driving Licence bill was introduced in Parliament by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater.
As well as GDLs being backed by numerous safety organisations, the bill has cross-party support in the House of Commons.
This is the latest in a number of attempts made in recent years to introduce GDLs into law – most notably in 2020 by Theresa May's government - but none so far have stuck despite many parliamentary debates.
Batley and Spen MP Kim Leadbeater has been campaigning for road safety since shortly after she was elected in July 2021
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While the current bill proposal is largely based on the same stage-restrictive learning programme of previous GDL attempts, this time it's been introduced into Parliament under the 'Ten Minute Rule'.
This rule allows a backbench MP to make his or her case for a new Bill in a speech lasting up to ten minutes.
Following this, the bill passed its first reading, as is now awaiting a second reading.
Leadbeater has been campaigning for road safety since shortly after she was elected in July 2021.
She took up GDLs after meeting with Dr Ian Greenwood, who lost his 12-year-old daughter Alice when the car her mother was driving was hit by an 18-year-old driver.
Both the 18-year-old and his 16-year-old passenger were also killed.
While various road safety policies have been proposed across the different party manifestos, GDLs have not been singled out by any party as legislation that's currently under consideration.
