WATCH: Inverness couple hope graduated licence can be son's legacy
Graham and Diane Matheson are re-joining forces with road safety campaigner David Stewart MSP to push for changes for novice drivers
Last updated 29th Aug 2019
Diane and Graham Matheson were told that their son was in the car for around 40 seconds.
17-year-old Callum was killed in March 2010 after accepting a lift home from a friend who he had grown up with.
It was the early hours of a Sunday morning, and having been at a party, the driver was looking to make sure Callum got home safely.
However she was four times over the drink drive limit and the car hit a wall on Island Bank Road - both died in the crash.
Diane said: "She was insured for this two-litre car. How did she get insurance for this suped-up vehicle? This can't be that a 17-year-old can get into this car and nobody's going to bat an eyelid"
Graham agrees, by pointing out: "Some lucky folk get a car after they pass, and they car have whatever engine they want, but most learn to drive in a one litre or 1.4"
Since the tragedy, the couple have vowed to prevent further incidents on north roads claiming the lives of other young drivers. They have visited schools to talk to teens on respecting roads and what happened to Callum that fateful night in 2010 when he accepted a lift.
"Any parent who has lost a child in a car accident would support this, as would any parent who has a child wanting to learn to drive"
Graham and Diane's first visit was at Invergordon where they spoke to around 200 kids:
"I can't tell you how many of them stayed back at the end, many of them in tears, they gave us a hug - and boys as well, not just girls - when they heard Callum's story"
Now veteran road-safety campaigner David Stewart has stepped up the pressure on the UK Government to introduce a system that has proven to reduce the road death toll among young drivers.
The Highlands Labour MSP has joined forces once again with Graham and Diane, with Mr Stewart this week submitting evidence to a Westminster road safety inquiry pressing for a form of Graduated Driving Licence (GDL) to be brought in in order to cut the death toll among newly-qualified drivers on the roads in the north.
He argues that the initiative, which enables novice drivers to gain valuable driving experience under low-risk conditions, has shown to cut fatalities, casualties and crashes in other countries where it is in operation.
Mr Stewart said: “I have long campaigned for some form of GDL to be brought in because all the evidence says it will help to reduce the heart-breaking loss of young lives on our roads. It minimises the risks by restricting new drivers’ exposure to the conditions in which they are statistically most likely to crash, which is at night or while driving with their friends in the car. No-one’s saying young drivers are bad drivers or “boy racers”. All I’m saying is the evidence clearly shows gaining more experience before getting a fully-fledged licence reduces the number of young drivers being killed on our roads today.”
A package of safety measures brought in under a GDL scheme could include various curbs on novice drivers including restricting them from carrying more than one passenger aged 14 to 20 for several months post-test - driving during certain times such as after dark - with exemptions in place for young drivers who are travelling to and from work, or college.
Mr Stewart added: “Obviously, no-one is going to see a young person penalised for driving to their work. It is the opinion of experts that the police could exercise a common-sense approach. The bottom line is if a GDL scheme can work in other countries and cut the number of road deaths, I can see absolutely no reason why it would not work here in the UK.”
Diane said: “Any parent who has lost a child in a car accident would support this, as would any parent who has a child wanting to learn to drive. Callum should be 27 now, not a day goes by that we don’t wonder what life would have had in store for him. I’d like to think that Callum would be proud of us and what has been achieved in the nine years since his death, that something positive could come out of such a tragedy.”