Road safety campaigners are urging the UK government to ban newly qualified young drivers from carrying friends as passengers, arguing that such measures have successfully reduced fatal road accidents abroad. There are many cases that as solicitors we have to claim against the young driver (though the insurance company) who was driving recklessly, speeding around corners in particular losing control of the vehicle often killing the driver and passengers; in such tragic events we often claim compensation for causing death by dangerous driving, or compensation for causing death by careless driving.
The call comes after ministers excluded the proposal from a forthcoming overhaul of motoring laws. Under the planned reforms, the drink-drive limit will be lowered and motorists over 70 could face compulsory eyesight tests, with those who fail being removed from the road. However, the idea of restricting “peer passengers” for new drivers was rejected as being unenforceable.
Campaigners say this decision could impact efforts to reduce death by dangerous driving and death by careless driving. One in five new drivers has a crash within a year of passing their test, and male drivers aged 17 to 24 are four times more likely to be killed or seriously injured than older drivers.
In countries such as Australia and Canada, peer passenger bans have reduced crashes and serious injuries by 20–40 per cent. Edmund King OBE, president of the AA, estimates that adopting the lower end of that range could save 58 lives annually in the UK.
Nicholas Lyes of IAM RoadSmart added that while enforcement is a challenge, international evidence shows that limiting similar-aged passengers for new drivers reduces risk.
With 1,633 road deaths and nearly 28,000 serious injuries in 2023 alone, campaigners argue that graduated driver licensing could be a vital tool in preventing tragedies and reducing cases of death by dangerous driving and death by careless driving on Britain’s roads.
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Claiming Compensation for Death by Dangerous Driving
At R. James Hutcheon Solicitors, our specialist fatal road accident and collision team represent bereaved families who have lost loved ones in tragic circumstances. We routinely act in cases involving young passengers who have sadly been killed while a young driver was at the wheel. We fully support proposals aimed at reducing the number of fatal injuries to young drivers and their passengers, and remain committed to helping families secure justice and accountability. Compensation can be sought where a young member of the family has been killed in a road accident, so please do come forward as it will help with financial pressures bereaved families often face
