The road safety charity Brake and Direct Line have named Roger Williams, MP for Brecon and Radnorshire, parliamentarian of the month for his campaign to introduce graduated driver licensing (GDL).
Mr Williams was approached by Dr Sarah Jones of Cardiff University, who provided a compelling case for the introduction of GDL to tackle the number of crashes that involve young drivers.
Mr Williams forwarded an Early Day Motion on GDL, calling on the Government to introduce a pilot scheme in the UK to assess the impact it would have on road safety.
He followed up his call with a meeting with the road safety minister, Mike Penning, on 3 August to further discuss the possibility of Government action to pilot GDL.
Mr Williams said: “I am delighted to be given this award by Brake. There are far too many young people who are seriously or fatally injured in road crashes and I am pleased that GDL is being considered as a way to reduce this as it is essential that young drivers have the necessary skills and experience to be safe on Britain’s roads.”
Julie Townsend, Brake’s campaigns director, said: “We are really pleased that the Coalition Government intends to address the number of deaths and injuries on our roads that involve young drivers.
“We urge the Government to act quickly to set up a trial in partnership with the insurance industry. Evidence from other countries shows that GDL is effective in cutting the number of young lives that are lost on the roads. There is not a moment to waste.”
For more information contact Ellen Booth at Brake on 01484 550067
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