Bereaved Oxfordshire family “won’t give up” fighting for graduated drivers licenses
The scheme aims to help prevent young deaths on UK roads
A bereaved family from Oxfordshire are calling on the Government to introduce graduated drivers’ licences which aims to help save young lives on the road.
Minister for Future of Roads, Lilian Greenwood MP previously backed a private member’s bill last May calling for Graduated Drivers Licences (GDL), but now says she is not considering it.
The Government claims they "unfairly" penalise young drivers.
The scheme’s objective is to help reduce the number of people who are killed or seriously injured in collisions on the UK’s roads involving young drivers.
As it stands, there are no specific plans on what GDL could look like, but some restrictions might include a minimum learning period, a limit on passengers for new drivers, driving curfews, engine sizes and mandatory use of ‘P’ plates.
Laura Oakes, from Drayton near Abingdon, says they “won’t give up”. She is determined to prevent other families from going through a similar pain that her family has endured.
Ms Oakes’ nephew, Elliot Pullen aged 17, was killed in a triple-fatal car crash in Marcham in June 2023.
Daniel Hancock and Ethan Goddard, both aged 18, were also killed in the crash. Driver, Thomas Johnson survived and was sentenced to nine years and four months imprisonment in December 2024.
Laura said: “We've missed two Christmases with Elliot now, he hasn't met his baby cousin. He won't be here for our family gatherings and that's the same for the other boys, as well as all of the children that have been lost.
“Your family puzzle is now incomplete, there's a huge big black hole where they should have been, and your life stops.
“Grief is forever, but your life restarts with without them somehow and I still don't know how my sister does it.”
Ms Oakes also told us that her sister, Elliot’s mum, “will never be the same person she was after the morning she woke up on the 20th of June. Her life changed forever”.
“I just would not want anybody else to have this”
Laura has joined other bereaved families campaigning on the issue, including Crystal Owen who is one of the lead campaigners.
Ms Oakes said: “It's an amazing support network of people, all bereaved and all going through this trauma, but united by this real desire to stop anyone else dying, and I think GDL’s will have a really positive impact on young people on the roads.”
She also says, “every day, you see more news of young lives lost. So, it will just continue. We're not going to go away or going to give up.”
What do the statistics show?
The AA estimates at least 58 lives could be saved annually by graduated driver licensing, with figures showing 290 people were killed in young driver crashes last year with more than 4,669 seriously injured.
Several countries and regions have implemented GDL systems, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and many US states.
In Canada, there was an immediate 31% reduction in collisions involving novice drivers following its introduction in 1994, according to Sky News.
According to a government report published in September 2024, young male drivers aged 17-24 are four times more likely to be killed or seriously injured compared with all car drivers aged 25 and over.
“Our thoughts remain with the families”
A DfT spokesperson said: “Every death on our roads is a tragedy and our thoughts remain with the families of everyone who has lost a loved one in this way.
“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 determined 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."