Bereaved families unite in Parliament to call for action on young driver safety

Pictured from left: Chris Taylor, Sharron Huddleston, Rebecca Morris, Dr Ian Greenwood and Nicole Taylor

"𝗜𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲, 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀." - Julia Buckley MP

Today, in Parliament, I joined members of Forget-me-not Families Uniting - group of bereaved parents, campaigning for Graduated Driving Licensing (GDL) in the UK - to observe a debate on young driver road safety.

The group, founded by Sharron Huddleston, Dr Ian Greenwood, Nicole and Chris Taylor and Crystal Owen, has transformed unimaginable grief into determined action to protect young drivers.

Julia Buckley MP, whose constituent Crystal lost her son Harvey in a crash in 2023, kicked off the debate with a heartfelt speech about Crystal’s bravery and heartache, met with a resounding “hear, hear” across the chamber.

The mood throughout the debate was overwhelmingly positive, as 26 MPs contributed and declared their support for a form of GDL.

Shrewsbury MP Julia Buckley, who called the debate

𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗱:

• Claire Hughes MP, representing Joanna Alkir, whose daughter Olivia was killed in a crash caused by a young driver, urged the minister to “leave no stone unturned” to protect young people.

• Rachel Gilmour MP, expressed faith that “we can move the dial on this issue. We owe it to young people to do it.”

• Michelle Scrogham MP, representing Sharron Huddleston, whose daughter Caitlin was killed in a crash caused by a young driver, reflected on Caitlin’s death in 2017 and the decades of campaigning by families. She said: “If the Government had listened then, Caitlin would still be here, and many others too.”

These contributions show that support for GDL among MPs is overwhelming. Yet the fight is far from over.

Families and campaigners in the public gallery

𝗗𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘀

But spirits were dampened when Greg Smith MP voiced concerns about “restricting young people’s freedom” through GDL - a tired rhetoric often echoed by the media. But as the Forget-me-not Families know all too well, 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻’𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵.

The debate concluded with Future Roads Minister, Lilian Greenwood MP, who reiterated her commitment to engaging with families and ensuring victims’ voices are heard. She stated: “I am determined to take action.”

Yet, despite these reassurances, she reaffirmed that the Government is "𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗗𝗟.”

This unwavering position continues to infuriate campaigners - whether bereaved or not - who know that GDL is the key to saving young lives and sparing others from enduring such heartache.

"If they had listened, our children might still be here" - Bereaved parents tells journalists outside Parliament