Road safety charity IAM RoadSmart has welcomed Prime Minister Theresa May’s pledge to look at introducing a graduated licensing (GDL) scheme for young drivers – calling it long overdue.
The pledge came during Prime Minister’s Questions, as Labour MP Jenny Chapman told MPs that one in four young drivers was involved in an accident within the first two years of starting to drive.
As Mrs May said: “There are too many people who suffer a loss and tragedy at the hands of learner drivers and we will certainly look at that.”
Although very few learner drivers are responsible for deaths, IAM RoadSmart strongly support a review of the way we equip new drivers to cope with the first few dangerous months of solo driving. Road crashes are the biggest killer of young people in the UK today, but in our view are not treated with the same urgency as knife or drug crime.
IAM RoadSmart has a full manifesto of what it would like to see for new drivers on the road, you can read it here: https://www.iamroadsmart.com/media-and-policy/research-and-policy/policy-details/improving-the-safety-of-young-drivers—the-views-of-the-iam
Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart director of policy and research, said: “Too many young drivers pass the practical test unprepared for the road so any GDL scheme must focus on building experience in all traffic conditions. GDL shouldn’t stop at the practical test and IAM RoadSmart supports post-test check-ups to embed learning and help new drivers negotiate our stressful roads.”
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