A proposed "graduated driving licence" scheme could ban young drivers under 25 from carrying young passengers in their vehicles, according to reports.
The plan will be discussed by Transport Minister Richard Holden at a meeting with road safety campaigners on 16th May and the proposal has been backed by the Support for Victims of Road Crashes advisory committee to the Department for Transport.
It could be introduced via the Road Traffic (New Drivers) Act, which imposes a probation period on new drivers who get their licence revoked if they get six penalty points within two years of passing.
The scheme would prevent drivers from carrying passengers under 25 in the first year or six months after passing their test and is being considered on safety grounds following the death of Caitlin Huddleston in a car crash in 2017 – with her mother, Sharron Huddleston, campaigning for the change.
Road safety charity Brake has said young drivers with passengers of similar age are four times more likely to die at the wheel than if they drove alone, as there would be an element of them "showing off and taking more risks".
