'Beyond belief' young lives can be lost in 'preventable way' says Wiltshire mum

A bereaved Wiltshire mum is among a group handing a petition to Government today in a bid for restrictions on new and young drivers to be reviewed.

Bridget Lucas's son Lawrence was killed in a car crash in 2022 where the driver and passengers were all in their early 20s and late teens.

The driver and one other passenger also died in the crash.

She's part of a group calling for Graduated Driving Licences, with the aim of reducing the number of young lives lost on roads across the country.

Bridget, who lives in Cricklade, said she doesn't blame the driver for what happened, but has questioned why young people are able to access vehicles that can causes so much damage when they have so little practical experience.

She admitted to us that it still doesn't feel real at times.

Bridget said: "I saw him the night before I waved him off in the morning. He was going to a party that evening, a drum and bass event.

"The next day, it was beautifully sunny, and I was thinking he must have had such a great time. Then I got a knock on the door."

Bridget added that it is "beyond belief" that someone can be lost in such a "preventable way", adding that it's still something she's trying to process.

'Once you pass, you can do anything'

She described the current position with driving licences as "outdated", saying many lessons have been learnt since the driving test was introduced in the 1950s.

"You pass a test in a moment," she said, "It doesn't test you in all scenarios, I think there's an element of luck in passing or not passing.

"And once you have passed, you can drive anywhere, you can do anything, you can have as many passengers as the car has seatbelts for and I think that needs review."

Bridget is calling for lawmakers to 'save young people from themselves', citing knowledge of how the brains of young men develop as a factor in the heightened risk.

She said: "What we know now which we didn't know in the 50s when the driving test was introduced, is how young people's minds, and particularly young men's brains aren't fully developed, and they are such risk takers at that age.

"It's not their fault, that's how they develop. But we know this now, so we should be ensuring their safety where we can by limiting their choices."

And while she insisted the aim isn't to penalise young drivers, it's to ensure their safety behind the wheel until they've built up experience or are a bit older.

Bridget added: "So many of us have taken risks and survived them and people will continue to take risks, but we have to think as a nation whether we want people to be taking these risks in vehicles that can cause such damage and devastation, not just to themselves but to their passengers, to pedestrians, to the emergency services?"

Asked what her message to Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer would be, Bridget said: "You would think it's not going to happen to you, your family, your loved ones, but it could just as easily happen to you and them unless changes are made."

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