Petition launched for Scottish GDL scheme

An online petition has been launched to encourage the Scottish Government to introduce a Graduated Driver License (GDL) scheme, which the organisers claim could save up to 22 lives and £80m per annum.

The petition is part of the ‘Sensible Driving – Always Arriving’ campaign, which was launched in June 2010. The campaign is coordinated by Doug Mackenzie, who retired from Grampian Police after 30 years service and is now office manager for the Highlands & Islands Labour MSPs.

Mr Mackenzie said: “In March 2010 two 17-year-old Inverness teenagers were killed in a fatal RTC. David Stewart MSP asked if we could do something to reduce these road deaths and we came up with a campaign to have a graduated licence scheme introduced in Scotland.

“Our campaign strap line is ‘Your Passengers – Your Responsibility’. We also use ‘Deadly Mates – Do you know who yours are?’”

As a result of the campaign, David Stewart was named Brake’s Campaigner of the Month in December 2010 and Political Campaigner of the Year for 2010.

The campaign includes a film which can be viewed on YouTube and will be distributed to every school in the Highlands and Islands, and farther afield if there is demand.

Click here to sign the petition, or for more information contact Doug Mackenzie on 01463 716 299.