MP Kim Leadbeater is today (May 7, 2024) set to introduce a new bill in Parliament which would drastically reduce young driver collisions on our roads.
The MP for Batley and Spen will introduce her ‘Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (New Drivers) Bill’ under the so-called Ten Minute Rule. Her proposal for what are known as ‘Graduated Driving Licences’ has cross-party support in the House of Commons, including from two former Conservative ministers.
Under the legislation she is proposing, newly qualified drivers would face restrictions for the first six months including a zero alcohol limit and controls over the number of young passengers allowed.
Kim was inspired to address the issue of Graduated Driving Licences after meeting Dr Ian Greenwood at Westminster with the West Yorkshire Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Alison Lowe. Dr Greenwood, from Halifax, lost his 12-year-old daughter, Alice, when the car her mother was driving was hit in 2008. The 18-year old driver of the other car and his 16-year old passenger were also killed.

Dr Greenwood is a co-founder of Forget-me-not Families Uniting – a group of more than 70 bereaved parents who are demanding immediate action to tackle the unacceptable and disproportionately high number of young driver and passenger deaths on UK roads. The group was launched on BBC Breakfast last month with the support of RoadPeace, the national charity for road crash victims; Brake, the road safety charity and The Road Victims’ Trust.
Research shows that:
• In 2022 29,742 people were killed or seriously injured on our roads.
• Around a fifth of all those killed or seriously injured were a result of collisions involving cars driven by a young car driver.
• Young male car drivers aged 17 to 24 are 4 times as likely to be killed or seriously injured compared with all car drivers aged 25 or over.
Graduated Driving Licences are backed by RoadPeace and many other road safety charities and organisations, including the AA, the RAC and The Association of British Insurers.
In Parliament, Kim Leadbeater is expected to say: “Since I was elected in 2021, road safety has been one of my top priorities as the Member of Parliament for Batley and Spen and an issue frequently raised with me by understandably concerned constituents.”
Referring to the “tragic and horrifying fact that in Great Britain in 2022, there were 29,742 individuals killed or seriously injured on our roads” she will say: “We must never forget that behind that statistic there are thousands of lives, right across the country, grieving or going through unimaginable pain. Lives changed forever and families torn apart by tragic and often avoidable collisions.”
Her Bill would apply to all newly qualified drivers for the first six months after they pass their test, with exemptions for work, medical and emergency reasons.
She will say: “Many of us will remember being new drivers. The inexperience, the lack of confidence or, sometimes, sadly often amongst younger men, the overconfidence.”
She will point out that similar proposals have been successfully implemented in other countries such as New Zealand, where their graduated driving licence scheme has led to a 23% reduction in car collision injuries for 15 to 19-year-olds, and a 12% reduction for 20 to 24-year-olds.
Edmund King OBE, AA president, said; “We fully endorse the Bill and hope it can become law to help prevent so many needless deaths. The AA’s Motoring Manifesto called on all parties to take steps to reduce road deaths, and improving the safety of newly qualified drivers is vital to achieve that ambition. We’re pleased Kim Leadbeater has chosen to lead on this important issue.”
RAC road safety spokesperson Rod Dennis said: “The tragic statistics speak for themselves. Young drivers, especially men, are far more likely to be killed or seriously injured on our roads, so it’s high time a renewed focus was given to reducing casualties. Families up and down the country who have lost sons and daughters far too soon are looking for something to change, and graduated driving licences could well be the answer.
“Passing the practical driving test is the very first step in anyone’s driving career, but there remains so much more to learn to become a safe, proficient and confident driver. We call on MPs to back this Bill and set the wheels in motion in creating legislation that has the potential to save lives.”
Updated on: 7 May 2024