At the National Road Safety Conference 2024, which concluded today, Sharron Huddleston – a bereaved mother and tireless campaigner for Graduated Driving Licensing (GDL) – presented a powerful letter to Future Roads Minister, Lilian Greenwood MP.
In just 24 hours, the letter, prepared by RoadPeace, was signed by 40 road safety organisations and members of Forget-me-not Families Uniting – a group of more than 170 bereaved families campaigning for GDL.
The letter urged the Government to adopt a GDL system as soon as possible in the UK – an approach proven to reduce the risk of road crashes involving young, novice drivers.
The letter itself was a powerful testament, featuring the faces of young people whose lives were tragically cut short in preventable crashes.
The support for GDL among conference attendees – road safety professionals from across the UK – was unmistakable. Numerous Q&A questions focused on GDL, and a poll conducted during the event revealed it as a top priority for practitioners to see included in the forthcoming Road Safety Strategy, currently in development by the Minister and her team.
Sharron is pictured above with representatives from just some of the organisations that signed the letter to the Minister. Pictured from left to right are Shaun Helman, Chief Scientist at TRL; James Gibson, Executive Director at Road Safety GB; Sharron Huddleston; Rebecca Morris, Head of Communications at RoadPeace; Dr Suzy Charman, Executive Director at Road Safety Foundation UK; Dan Campsall, Chairman at Agilysis.
A Minister who’s “Listening”
Lilian Greenwood’s keynote address on day one set an inspiring tone for the conference. As the first government minister to attend a UK road safety conference in 14 years, her presence alone marked a shift. But it was her speech that truly resonated. She drew inspiration from Barbara Castle, whose visionary 1967 Road Safety Act introduced seat belts, breath tests, and motorway speed limits, transforming road safety standards in the UK. The minister shared that a photograph of Castle hangs in her office as a constant reminder of the responsibility to champion change for road safety.
Lilian’s words were refreshingly direct and hopeful. She addressed the inexcusable stagnation in reducing road casualties over the past decade and expressed her commitment to “turning back the clock on the status quo.” She pledged to engage actively with local authorities, police, fire services and road safety organisations, stating, “We are listening.” Greenwood’s call for a “layered system” that doesn’t accept preventable deaths was met with overwhelming support from road safety professionals in the room.
A vision for safer roads: GDL is the key
GDL has long been seen as a powerful step to protect young drivers by gradually introducing them to the roads under conditions that reduce risk. Countries that have implemented GDL report a significant drop in crashes involving young drivers. For the families represented in the letter, GDL isn’t merely a policy – it’s a necessary measure that could save future families from the devastation of losing a loved one in a preventable crash.
Read the letter here:
Updated on: 7 November 2024