Parents of teenager killed in car crash say new road safety measures 'not enough'

Bereaved families and the AA say the government's long-awaited strategy to cut road deaths does not go far enough, with "missed opportunities" to save young drivers.

The Road Safety Strategy published today includes plans for mandatory eye-tests for the over 70s, lowering the drink-drive limit in England and Wales, and to consult on a minimum learning period for new motorists of up to six months before taking a driving test. The government says this will give learner drivers more time to develop their skills, with statistics showing nearly a quarter of deaths and serious injuries on Britain's roads involve drivers aged 17-24, despite only making up around 6% of licence holders.

But campaigners say the measure falls short of what could have been achieved. Nicole and Chris Taylor's daughter Rebecca was just 18 when she died in a car crash in Northamptonshire in 2008.

"If the government thinks this is enough for us - it's not enough, there's a lot more that should have been done and can be done," Nicole said. Chris said he was disappointed by the strategy.

"Having a longer learning period would be a good idea," he added. "But the reality of this is that we have to let young drivers on their own at some point, therefore we need to protect them when that happens." The couple - along with hundreds of other families - have spent years campaigning for so-called Graduated Driving Licences (GDL) to be introduced.

'Missed opportunity' In countries such as Australia and Canada, GDLs see restrictions placed on newly-qualified drivers in their first few months of being behind the wheel, such as a limit on passenger numbers and a ban on driving late at night - factors that often feature in serious collisions. The measures have been proven to reduce serious injuries and deaths.

Edmund King, president of The AA, told Sky News the new strategy was "welcome" and "ambitious.