County Durham parents demand Government action on deaths from young driver crashes
A group of 40 bereaved parents want immediate action to tackle the issue
Last updated 15th Apr 2024
County Durham parents are standing alongside other bereaved families demanding the government to take action on deaths from young driver crashes.
18-year-old Andrew Rowlands was killed when the car he was travelling in, which was being driven by a 16-year-old, flipped over and crashed in 2020. The vehicle was illegal and unroadworthy and had been bought the day before for just £100 without a single check.
John Rowlands, his Dad from Consett, said: "Andrew wasn't only killed as the result of an inexperienced teenage driver.
"He was killed as a result of an inexperienced teenage driver being able to buy an illegal vehicle the night before for 100-pounds off Facebook.
He continued to say: "The loss that we have endured is horrific and I don't wish it upon anybody."
40 bereaved parents across the country, whose loved ones were all killed by cars driven by young drivers, have formed a campaigning group called Forget-me-not Families Uniting, calling on the Government to save young lives.
In Britain, young drivers between the ages of 17 and 24 are involved in 24% of all collisions resulting in death or serious injury, even though this group accounts for just 7% of the total driving population.
In 2022, 4,935 people were killed or seriously injured in crashes involving at least one young driver – this includes other road users of all ages, such as people travelling in separate cars or pedestrians.
Forget-me-not Families Uniting are calling for:
• The introduction of Graduated Driving Licensing to reduce road death and serious injury
• An expert panel to advise the Government on how Graduated Driving Licensing in the UK should look
Forget-me-not Families Uniting has the backing of RoadPeace, Brake and The Road Victims’ Trust.
The charities said: “We’re proud to come together to back these families and this growing movement. These families deserve to be heard and we hope to see action finally taken by the Government.
“We welcome other families to join this campaign and help us to stop these unnecessary deaths and serious injuries, just as other countries have.”