Parents call for tighter restrictions on new drivers

A couple whose son was killed in a car crash almost 40 years ago are calling for the government to introduce restrictions on newly-qualified drivers.

Neil Suffield, 18, was a passenger in a friend's speeding and overloaded car which lost control and crashed head-on into a bus in 1986, killing five people.

His parents, Robbin and Patsy Suffield, from Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire, have also urged new young drivers to "think" before they get behind the wheel.

It comes as the AA launched its motoring manifesto on Monday, calling on the government to bring in a graduate licence scheme, which would prevent new young drivers from carrying other young people for the first six months.

According to government figures, one in five young drivers crash within a year of passing their test, and more than 1,500 young drivers are killed or seriously injured on roads each year.

A government spokesperson said it continued to work tirelessly to improve road safety.

“Up until now, when it’s just been individual parents, the little voice from here, the little voice from that part of the country, and so on, the government has been able to ignore,” Mr Suffield said.

Speaking of his son's death, he added: “They drove down a country lane, and with the inexperience of the driver, the overladen car, and excessive speed, the driver lost control and went head-on into a bus," he said.

“Out of the six in the car, five were killed, and one was seriously injured.

Ms Suffield said she wanted the government to understand "how many young people are losing their lives" and how others would be affected by it.

“If this many people died in a single rail crash, there would be outrage,” she said.

“Think of the people who love you, think of what you would make them go through if something happened to you.”

Crystal Owen, from Shrewsbury, whose son Harvey Owen was killed along with three friends in North Wales in November, said the licencing scheme would "not only help the passengers" but "would save the lives of the drivers."

“It affects everybody basically, and it would save the trauma for thousands of families, that we have to go through, and we have a life sentence basically now," she said.

Ms Owen is one of several families calling for tighter restrictions for new drivers.

“People say it’s restrictive,” she said. “How more restrictive can you get? My 17-year-old son’s life has been restricted forever.

“How many more lives can be taken before the government does anything?”

A Department for Transport spokesperson added: "While the UK has some of the safest roads in the world, any death is a tragedy, which is why we continue working tirelessly to improve road safety for everyone.

"Our Think! campaign is specifically targeted at young male drivers, and we have commissioned research designed to help learner and newly-qualified drivers improve their skills and safety."

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