Oxfordshire campaign group calls for graduated licences for young drivers
The call for graduated licences follows the death of three teenagers who died in a crash in Marcham
A campaign group in Oxfordshire is calling on the government to introduce graduated driving licences for young drivers and black boxes, following the death of three teenagers in Marcham.
In the early hours of June 20, 2023, a silver BMW was driving at speeds of nearly 100 mph before crashing into a wall, lamp post and a tree in Frilford Road in Marcham.
The passengers, Elliot Pullen, 17, Daniel Hancock, 18 and Ethan Goddard, 18 all died at the scene. The driver, 19 years old, Thomas Johnson who was 18 at the time survived.
Johnson of Stainswick Lane, Shrivenham was sentenced to nine years and four months for three counts of causing death by dangerous driving last month.
The Coalition for Healthy Streets and Active Travel (CoHSAT ) has long been calling for the government to introduce graduated driving licences and are now backing calls from the parents of the teenage boys.
You can find out more about the Marcham Crash and Thomas Johnson's sentencing here:
'This can make a really substantial impact to road safety'
Co-Chair of the group, Robin Tucker said: “Young drivers cause disproportionately high number of car crashes, and young men in particular are involved in four times as many as the average number of fatal car crashes, killing themselves or other people.
“So, graduated driving licences and black boxes are two of the ways of making the roads safer for them and for everybody else.”
Mr Tucker tells us what a graduated licence could look like, he says, “new drivers not to carry passengers or not carry young passengers.
“Sometimes they restrict the times that people can drive because many of these crashes happen in the evenings.”
He added: “They are currently being done in every state of the USA, in Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, and they have seen reductions between 25% and 40% in total serious road casualties.
This is just one measure can make a really substantial impact to road safety. This is not just for one group, this is for anyone in a car, walking or cycling. It's really something that can benefit everybody.”
DfT: "We are considering other measures"
A spokesperson for the Department for Transport 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, and we are considering other measures to tackle this problem and protect young drivers."