DAVID STEWART: How do we make our roads safer for younger drivers?
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Developing policies and campaigning to make our roads safer for young drivers was top of my political agenda as an MSP for over a decade.
I was greatly influenced by Diane and Graham Matheson, from Inverness, who lost their 17-year-old son Callum in a tragic driving accident.
The driver, Ahlee Jackson, also died.
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Diane and Graham urged me to speak to safety organisations, academics and government to come up with a plan to improve road safety for young drivers. After months of research and looking at international evidence in the USA, Canada and Australia, I put forward the case for a Graduated Driving Licence (GDL) to both the Scottish and UK governments.
What is a GDL? It is a probationary licence for young drivers after they pass their test, so that they can gain more driving experience with some risk factors removed, such as curfews and limiting passengers for six months. Welsh academic Dr Sarah Jones researched GDLs and concluded that if it had been introduced in Scotland, it would have saved 22 lives per year, and up to £80 million in savings to the local economy.
The road statistics make troubling reading. In Scotland alone, 12.5 per cent of all road collisions involve a driver aged between 17 and 19. Alarmingly, in the Highlands and north east, over 15 per cent of all collisions involve a young driver - well above the accident rate for the rest of Scotland.
The evidence is clear - if we introduced a GDL scheme, just in the Highlands and Grampian areas, we could reduce casualties by 64 and prevent those killed or seriously injured by 13.
According to The Times this week, the AA argue that new drivers should be banned from carrying passengers for up to six months after passing their test to cut “needless” road deaths.
The AA want new drivers to keep a record showing they have driven on all types of roads. This would form part of GDL in England which the UK government is considering.
They are in use in the US, Canada, Australia and Sweden. The government in the UK halted the plan in 2020 after concerns were expressed about the potential impact on young people’s employment.
Edmund King, president of the AA, 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. Each year, nearly 5000 people are killed or seriously injured in crashes involving at least one young driver.”
The Department for Transport at Westminster is commissioning research to help newly qualified drivers improving their safety record. That may involve utilising technology (such as in-vehicle data recorders, or ‘telematics’) to manage driver behaviour post-test. Another option is to increase the amount and breadth of pre-test on-road experience. I can understand how many young drivers may feel vexed and angered at attempts to limit their post-test driving freedom, but surely if we can save just one young life, it is worth the cost?
Big game for Caley Thistle
Huge evening for Caley Thistle fans as my side take on Raith Rovers at home in a crucial game to avoid finishing ninth and facing the uncertain perils of a playoff. The game is live on the Beeb and I will be watching in the comfort of my living room, wearing my freshly ironed, lucky, Caley Thistle scarf and hoping for victory!
