17 February 2025 , 19:30
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A petition calling for major driving licence changes, launched by the mother of a teenager who died in a car crash, has received almost 100,000 signatures.
Crystal Owen launched the "Safer Driving Licensing for Newly Qualified 17-19 Year Olds" petition in October 2024, following the tragic death of her son Harvey.
The 17-year-old and three of his friends drowned when their car left a rural road and flipped onto its roof in a flooded ditch while they were on a camping trip in Wales in November 2023.
Harvey Owen and three of his friends drowned when their car left a rural road and flipped onto its roof. Picture: Social media
Crystal is now calling for major changes to be introduced to improve road safety, including the launch of a Graduated Driving Licence scheme.
The scheme would see certain restrictions placed on motorists who have recently passed their test.
Owen said: "The boys’ deaths could have been prevented if Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) had been in place.
“GDL has proven effective worldwide for over 30 years, reducing deaths and serious injuries involving young, inexperienced drivers by up to 40 per cent.
“These short-term safety measures could prevent approximately 537 deaths and serious injuries each year in the UK where 17-19-year-old drivers are involved."
One of the proposals includes learner drivers having to undergo a minimum six-month learning period before being eligible for a practical test.
Another includes a ban on recently qualified drivers carrying passengers under the age of 25 for the first six months after passing their test.
Crystal said she was unaware that her son was being driven in a car by a newly qualified driver he met at college, rather than an older, experienced driver she thought he was with.
The petition, which now has 96,600 signatures, cites research which suggests one in five newly qualified drivers crash within their first year of motoring.
Meanwhile, the Department for Transport found almost 5,000 people were seriously injured or killed in a road traffic collision involving a young driver aged 25 and under in 2023.
In a report published in September 2024, the government department also found: “Around a fifth of all killed or seriously injured (KSI) casualties from collisions involving cars were in collisions which involved a young car driver.”
The report added: “Young male car drivers aged 17 to 24 are 4 times as likely to be killed or seriously injured compared with all car drivers aged 25 or over.”
The campaign suggests a violation of its proposed rules should result in the driver being handed six penalty points, an immediate suspension of their licence and a requirement to retake their practical test.
Exemptions would be available for young parents, people who qualify for the enhanced rate of mobility of PIP, and members of the armed forces.
Generally, when a petition receives 10,000 signatures, it will receive a response from the Government department responsible, while 100,000 signatures could see it considered for a debate in Parliament.