Deputy mayor backs tighter rules for new drivers

West Yorkshire's deputy mayor for policing and crime - whose own sister was killed by a speeding driver - is backing a campaign for tighter regulations on newly qualified motorists.

Alison Lowe's sister Debbie was fatally injured on Roundhay Road in Leeds in 1965 aged just three years old.

Lowe met other families who have lost loved ones as she called on the government to introduce graduated driving licences (GDLs).

She said: "A big change is needed and GDL has been proven to work, improving safety not only for drivers, but all road users."

GDLs would impose conditions on new drivers for a period of time after passing their test, allowing them to develop their skills before they obtain a full licence.

Restrictions could include controls over the number of young passengers they are allowed to carry or a zero alcohol limit.

Speaking of the loss of her sister, Lowe said: "I was a year old.

"I never got to know her, I never got to grow up with her.

"The impact on my family was devastating. My mum and dad never forgot her."

Lowe joined other bereaved relatives who are backing the West Yorkshire Vision Zero campaign, which seeks to end all road death and serious injuries in the county by 2040.

In Leeds' Park Square, she met Ian Greenwood, whose daughter Alice, aged 12, was killed by a speeding driver.

Clare O'Neill's daughter, also called Alice, aged nine, was killed by a speeding driver who failed to stop at a red light.

Tiffany Dustain's mother Debbie was killed in a crash. Ms Dustain, aged three at the time, was also in the vehicle and suffered serious injuries.

And Sarah Harrison's mother Mary was killed when a speeding car hit the taxi she was travelling in.

In a joint statement they said: "The ongoing impact and devastation of the death of a loved one in these circumstances cannot adequately be put into words.

"We want to do everything in our power to prevent it from happening to anyone else."

Last year, Spen Valley MP Kim Leadbeater introduced her Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (New Drivers) Bill under the so-called Ten Minute Rule to tighten legislation on newly qualified drivers.

The proposal for graduated driving licences had cross-party support in the House of Commons.

The licences are backed by many road safety and motoring organisations including the AA, the RAC and Brake. Their introduction also has the support of the Association of British Insurers.

Lowe, who also chairs the Vision Zero partnership, said: "Five of us gathered at the memorial, the same number of people that needlessly die every day on UK roads.

"We're clear here in West Yorkshire that a big change is needed and GDL has been proven to work, improving safety not only for drivers, but all road users."

A Department for Transport spokesperson said that every road death was a "tragedy" and the government was developing a new road safety strategy.

They said: "Whilst we are not considering graduated driving licences, we absolutely recognise that young people are disproportionately victims of tragic incidents on our roads.

"We are already taking action to tackle this, including through our THINK! campaign, which has a focus on men aged 17-24 as they are four times more likely to be killed or seriously injured than other drivers."

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