Government ignored licence that could have saved my brother

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqxgz4p31lqo

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Mia Pullen's 17-year-old brother Elliot died in 2023

A woman whose brother died in a car crash caused by a young driver has said she is "angry" that the government has not introduced graduated drivers' licences.

Mia Pullen's 17-year-old brother Elliot, was among three passengers who died in 2023 after the car they were travelling in hit a tree in the village of Marcham, Oxfordshire.

She was "disappointed" that the government's latest driving proposals focused on motorists over 70 and not graduated drivers' licences, which she thinks could have saved her brother.

A spokesperson from the Department for Transport said it does not support graduated drivers licences but is considering other measures to protect young drivers.

Teenagers Daniel Hancock, Elliot Pullen, and Ethan Goddard died in the crash

Thomas Johnson, 19, was driving on the night that Ms Pullen's brother died.

He had only had his licence for less than a year and was filmed inhaling laughing gas behind the wheel and travelling at speeds of up to 100mph before the crash.

He was sentenced to nine years and four months in prison for three counts of causing death by dangerous driving.

"You don't know the hurt and the heartache unless your family has felt it," Ms Pullen said.

In reaction to the news that drivers over 70 could be banned from the roads if they fail compulsory eye tests, she said she did agree that this is also an issue but believes young drivers should be the priority.

She said: "It just makes me angry because the government and everyone can see that these graduated drivers' licences would have saved so many lives and will continue to save so many lives so I can't understand why they don't believe that they're necessary, they should be the most important thing within the driving laws at the moment."

She believes it could help to save up to 100 lives a year adding that "if these graduated drivers' licences save one life that would be enough for us".

Among the changes Ms Pullen hopes to see is a ban on new young drivers carrying "peer age passengers" for the first six to 12 months.

The car that was carrying Ms Pullen's brother on the night he died

'One in five crash'

In reaction to the government's latest driving laws, Edmund King, president of the Basingstoke based AA said: "The area that seems to have been overlooked here is the one in five new drivers who crash in the first year of driving."

Figures from the Department for Transport found 290 people were killed in young driver crashes with more than 4,669 seriously injured in 2023.

"The leading cause of death of young people between 17 to 19, not only in the UK but worldwide, is in car crashes," Mr King said.

A spokesperson from the Department for Transport said: "Whilst we are not considering Graduated Driving Licences, we absolutely recognise that young people are disproportionately victims of tragic incidents on our roads and continue to tackle this through our 'Think' campaign.

"We are considering other measures to address this problem and protect young drivers, as part of our upcoming strategy for road safety - the first in over a decade."

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