A powerful new national action group and website, Protect Young Drivers, has officially launched.

It aims to unite road safety professionals, policymakers, bereaved families, and public health organisations in tackling the high risk faced by young and novice drivers in the UK.

The platform, hosted by the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS), offers a politically neutral, evidence-based hub to centralise data, research and stories relating to young driver crash risk.

According to PACTS, the site was created because key information previously existed in fragmented form across multiple sources with inconsistent terminology and detail. 

Cross-sector support

The launch has drawn strong cross-sector backing.

Over 70 representatives attended a parliamentary event held during Road Safety Week.

Stakeholders included Members of Parliament, Police and Crime Commissioners, fire and rescue services, insurers, road-safety charities, campaigners and bereaved families. 

Key supporters of the campaign include the National Police Chiefs’ Council, National Fire Chiefs Council, RAC Foundation, TRL, The AA, Brake, RoadPeace, IAM RoadSmart, Road Safety GB, and others.

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service has publicly endorsed the new initiative, pointing to the scale of the problem.

Their Road Safety Lead, Dan Quin, highlighted that around 24% of fatal or serious collisions in Britain involve drivers aged 17-24.

Philip Seccombe, Police and Crime Commissioner for Warwickshire and Chair of the Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership, described the site as an “essential national platform” that brings together agencies committed to crash prevention.

A resource for everyone 

Protect Young Drivers is designed to be a practical resource for a wide range of users.

The website hosts:

  • Key data and facts on crash risk

  • Timelines and international comparisons of driver licensing models

  • Academic and specialist research

  • Personal testimony from families bereaved by young-driver collisions

  • Campaign toolkits, infographics, and materials for professionals working in media, education, enforcement and policy.

 

A significant focus of the site is Graduated Driving Licensing (GDL), a phased licensing system used successfully in countries such as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

GDL includes restrictions such as night-driving limits, passenger caps, and extended supervised learning, and has been advocated by most road safety professionals focused on young drivers for over a decade.

Despite this, both Conservative and Labour administrations have refused to implement such a scheme in the UK.

However, campaigners continue to advocate for GDL, which has been shown to significantly reduce young-driver crashes abroad, with some regions reporting fatal crash reductions of 20–40% after implementation. 

Lived experience 

Protect Young Drivers also amplifies the voices of bereaved families through a section called ‘Forget-me-not Families Uniting’.

The group, formed in 2024 and supported by Brake, RoadPeace and other organisations, brings together parents who have lost children in collisions involving new or young drivers.

These families are advocating for policy change, including GDL reform, drawing on their lived experiences to drive meaningful action.

According to data featured on the platform, in 2023, nearly 5,000 people were killed or seriously injured in crashes involving at least one young driver. 

PACTS Executive Director Jamie Hassall said the launch “marks a significant new phase” in the national effort to reduce young driver risk and prevent further tragedies. 

Call to action

The creators of Protect Young Drivers are urging organisations and professionals committed to road safety — including police forces, local authorities, driver trainers, charities, and community groups — to endorse the initiative and use the website as a central resource. 

They also encourage individuals, campaigners and families to sign up via the platform to stay informed and to contribute to a united voice for meaningful reform.

Protect Young Drivers comes at a critical time.

With high young-driver crash rates and growing public and institutional backing, the website and its affiliated action group aim to become a focal point for sustained, cross-sector push toward evidence-based interventions, such as GDL, and better support for new drivers during the most hazardous phase of their driving lives.

Click here to find out more.