Young drivers warned over five new driving rules

TRANSPORT MINISTER LILIAN GREENWOOD SAID THE GOVERNMENT IS EXPLORING A RANGE OF OPTIONS TO TACKLE THE 'ROOT CAUSES' OF ACCIDENTS INVOLVING YOUNG DRIVERS 15:44, 02 Feb 2025 The

landscape of driving in the UK might see new limitations if current discussions turn into policy. Transport Minister Lilian Greenwood conveyed that the Labour Party Government is reviewing

the success of no-alcohol rules used abroad. Ms Greenwood clarified: "While we are not considering graduated driving licences, we absolutely recognise that young people are

disproportionately victims of tragic collisions on our roads, and that is why we are exploring options to tackle the root causes of this without unfairly penalising young drivers." She

further insisted that the aim is to balance road safety with freedoms for the youth: "This Government wants to ensure young people's access to employment, education and other

opportunities, while also keeping them safe on the roads." Ms Greenwood provided insights on the ministry's research into various approaches to enhance driving safety among the

younger demographic, including a zero alcohol tolerance. Discussions include overhauling aspects such as maintaining a driving log, refining hazard perception training, classroom-based

tuition, mentoring and implementing telematics technology to monitor how drivers behave on the road. At the same time, drivers over 70 are set to be hit with new tax rules from April. The

DVSA has also warned that a new driving licence rule will come into effect at the start of February and "is likely to affect thousands of drivers" in the UK On proactive safety

campaigns, she highlighted: "THINK! campaigns have shown positive results, but we know that changing ingrained attitudes and behaviours takes time. This year, we are doing even more to

land the vital messages, including working with content creators and influential platforms such as LADbible to tackle speeding via the voices that young audiences trust." "Before

Christmas, THINK! launched a major new drink-driving campaign, which highlighted the risk of losing one's licence after drinking even a little before driving, and the subsequent impact

on the freedoms that we know mean a lot to young drivers. As a number of hon. Members have said, we also need to address other dangerous behaviours, including failing to wear a seatbelt,

using a mobile phone while driving and taking drugs before driving, which sadly is a growing problem." KEEP UP TO DATE WITH ALL THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS AND TOP STORIES FROM THE NORTH

EAST WITH OUR FREE NEWSLETTER Article continues below "We need to use every opportunity to educate young people about road safety, and that involves working with mayors, local councils,

police and crime commissioners, police, schools, colleges, charities, and the many parents and families who have generously used their tragic experience to try to help others make better

choices."