Graduated driving licence bill backed by AA in bid to stop “needless deaths of young drivers”

The AA has called on “all political parties to do more on road safety” after it publicly backed Labour’s Graduated Drivers Bill, which aims to impose restrictions on new drivers and curtail “often avoidable collisions”.

Under the proposed law, newly-qualified drivers would, for the first six months, have restrictions on the number of young passengers they are allowed to carry, as well as a zero limit for blood alcohol content. Other constraints may also be implemented, although exemptions would be made for work, medical and emergency situations.

Dubbed the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (New Drivers) Bill, the concept was introduced to parliament by Kim Leadbeater, Labour MP for Batley and Spen, before the recent General Election was announced. However, at the time of writing, a re-reading date is yet to be confirmed.

There exists cross-party support for the introduction of graduated drivers licences, with the Commons’ Transport Select Committee saying in 2021 that evidence showed such a scheme would be “effective in reducing crash rates”.

In addition, the AA says almost three quarters (72 per cent) of its customers think such a scheme is a good idea, while the RAC, Association of British Insurers and UK Road Offender Education (UKROEd), have all called on MPs “to save the lives of young drivers” by backing the bill.

According to government statistics, there were 29,429 people killed or seriously injured on the roads between June 2022 and June 2023. Just over a fifth of the fatalities were of people aged between 17 and 29 years old, with statistics from the year prior showing that male drivers aged between 17 to 24 are four times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in an accident, compared with those aged 25 or over.

The AA’s president, Edmund King OBE, 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.”

“The AA believes we need a system of graduated learning with a logbook whereby all learners need to demonstrate their skills on all types of roads,” King continued. “We owe it to the next generation to introduce positive measures that will help give them healthy and prosperous lives.”

These comments echo what Leadbeater said back in May when introducing her bill to Parliament. “Many of us will remember being new drivers,” she said. “The inexperience, the lack of confidence or, sometimes, sadly often amongst younger men, the overconfidence.”

She continued, “We must never forget that behind [that] statistic there are thousands of lives, right across the country, grieving or going through unimaginable pain. Lives changed forever and families torn apart by tragic and often avoidable collisions.”

That said, the bill is not without its critics; spokesperson for the Alliance of British Drivers (ABD), Ian Taylor, told Auto Express that the proposed legislation prioritises “more restriction over positive innovation”.

Raising concerns about how such restrictions may be implemented, Taylor explained how the ABD firmly stands by the adage of “Practice Makes Perfect” when it comes to driving, and that “better driver training from the start” and “education in road safety” are the keys to solving the issue.

Would you support the introduction of Graduated Driving Licences for young drivers? Let us know in the comments below...