A PROPOSED rule change has sparked fury among younger drivers.
Last week, the AA suggested newly-qualified drivers under the age of 21 should be banned from carrying passengers of a similar age for six months after they pass their test.
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Many youngsters have been left outraged by the idea of these so-called graduated driving licences, believing they would take away their freedom and the excitement of being able to drive.
In a recent report by the BBC, Faye Cullum, 16, who has been taking driving lessons designed for under 17s, said: “If this rule came into place, it wouldn’t give me any motivation to drive at all.
“I want to drive because it gives me a lot more freedom.”
She added: “If I’m paying for my car, the insurance and the tax – why should they be able to control who is allowed in it?”
But not all youngsters feel this way, with Josh Jones, 18, believing there is some sense behind the ruling.
He said: “I think, in theory, it’s a good idea.
“A few months ago, one of my high school friends died. I found out that him and two of his friends were killed in a road accident.
“I don’t know how it happened. But maybe if a plan like this was in place, that wouldn’t have happened.”
According to research carried out by the AA, a graduated driving licence could save at least 58 lives and prevent nearly 1,000 injuries on the road.
They also suggested that motorists with a “G” graduated driver plate would be hit with six points if they are not wearing a seatbelt, and would therefore lose their licence.
A number of other countries including Australia, the US, and Sweden have already imposed these types of licences.
But while the government isn’t thought to be considering the idea, it’s an issue that has rumbled on in recent months.
Crystal Owen, whose 17-year-old son Harvey drowned with three other teenagers when their car rolled into a ditch on a trip to Snowdonia in November last year, told the Sunday Times she was shocked that the UK hasn’t imposed graduated licences.
She said: “I thought: ‘What the hell is going on? Why is this or some version of it not law?’
“Their brains are not fully formed, which is why we have other restrictions on things like buying cigarettes.”
Owen has since co-founded the campaign group Forget-me-not Families Uniting, which is calling to introduce graduate licences.
In a petition launched on Change.org, the group said: “With one in every five newly qualified drivers crashing within their first year and young drivers being at higher risk of being involved in a fatal crash when carrying peer-age passengers, there is an urgent need to act now to save lives.”
However, statistics from the Department for Transport have shown that 4,959 people were killed or seriously injured in crashes last year involving drivers aged under 25 – which is a decrease of 60% since 2004.
What’s more, there were 3,451 such casualties in accidents involving drivers aged 70 or over – which stands as an increase of 12% over the same period.
Under current rules, drivers aged 70 and over can renew their licence every three years, although they must declare any cognitive problems or risk a fine of £1,000.
AA president Edmund King said the organisation has discussed safety measures around older drivers in the past – including mandatory eye tests when drivers turn 70.
But he warned that new rules could deter older people from driving, which could be detrimental to them leading a normal life.
He said: “The car is often a lifeline for an elderly person and they try and mitigate their fragility – they don’t drive at night, they only drive short distances, et cetera.”
“It’s a case of getting the balance right, as it is with younger drivers.”
This comes as a driver asked police to ‘let him off’ as it was his wedding day after they found he had no insurance on a £200,000 Lamborghini.
The soon-to-be groom was picked up by road traffic officers following four reports that the lime-green sports car had been speeding.
Elsewhere, a man who left his £50,000 Mercedes at a meet-and-greet parking area in an airport says his car had disappeared when he returned.
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