A message from Durham Police and Crime Commissioner... Bereaved Families are Demanding A Change in Law to Save Precious Young Lives!

A message from Durham Police and Crime Commissioner... Bereaved Families are Demanding A Change in Law to Save Precious Young Lives!

In a single year, 269 people died and 4,466 were seriously injured in collisions involving young car drivers aged 17 to 24 across Great Britain. These 2025 figures include passengers and other road users.

Think of the families behind these numbers. The knock at the door. The hospital bedside. The empty bedroom. Families’ lives changed in an instant.

I refuse to accept that this is simply the price of young people gaining their independence. It does not have to be this way. That is why I welcome Northern Ireland becoming the first part of the UK to introduce Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL).

This new road safety scheme includes six months of learning, structured training recorded in a logbook and identifying plates for two years after passing their test. Newly qualified drivers under 24 face temporary limits on carrying young passengers between 11pm and 6am during their first six months, with specified exemptions.

These protections give new drivers time to gain experience while reducing distractions and pressure from friends in the car.  As a national roads policing lead and campaigner for graduated licensing, I want our country to follow Northern Ireland’s example and I am proud to stand alongside bereaved families demanding this change. 

At two events I attended last week, the human cost of the loss of young lives was impossible to escape.

At Brake’s UK Fleet Champions Awards, I joined a standing ovation for Vicki McCarthy, who lost her 16-year-old daughter, Jordanna, in a car crash in 2014. Alongside her work at VolkerRail, Vicki shares her experience and loss of her only daughter to raise awareness and save lives, particularly those of young people.

Accepting an award in Jordanna’s memory, she spoke about her loss and her regrets of never getting to plump up her daughter’s wedding dress. That tender detail says more than any statistic. A mother denied a moment she should have shared with her daughter. A future they will never share.

At the Foundation of Light conference in Sunderland last week, a moving tribute by the club remembered Jackson Duke, 17, and Luke Etheridge and Zara Shaw, both 16, who died after their car entered the River Wear recently. Three young people with their lives ahead of them. My heart goes out to their families and friends. Their loss has shaken our region.

Protecting young lives requires action. 

I understand that driving provides vital access to education, employment and opportunities, particularly in rural areas like County Durham and Darlington. However, these challenges can be addressed. What cannot be undone is the loss of a son, daughter, brother, sister or friend.

Public support is strong: an AA survey found 77% of respondents backed measures similar to Northern Ireland’s, with 68% supporting passenger restrictions.

That’s why I am urging Ministers to set a clear timetable for introducing graduated licensing in England.

If you are reading this column and want to protect young drivers, please write to your local MP. Tell them you support this campaign. Ask them to stand alongside bereaved families and press the Government to act.

Families like Vicki’s carry their grief every day. They should not have to carry this campaign alone.

Every young life is precious and worth protecting. While we cannot bring back those who have been lost, we can take action to prevent future tragedies. Together, we can make our roads safer and help ensure more young people return  home safely to the people who love them.