Put them on the right road

9:07am Wednesday 14th May 2008

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PENDLE MP Gordon Prentice is not one of the government's favourite backbenchers.

That's because he does not support everything his party has done while running the country.

And he doesn't bite his lip or sit on his hands when ministers propose to do something, or refuse to do something, and he disagrees with them.

With that track record it is no great surprise, but welcome nevertheless, to see Mr Prentice speaking up in support of the aims of the Lancashire Telegraph's Wasted Lives campaign.

Like Hyndburn MP Greg Pope, he is calling for the government to back the transport select committee's report which proposed a graduated licensing scheme as an effective way of cutting the awful toll of death and serious injury caused by young drivers.

He forced the transport minister Jim Fitzpatrick in the Commons to reveal the enormous number of people under 21 being killed in accidents involving young male drivers - six times more than those involving similarly aged female drivers.

He points out that while he backs proposed government steps to improve driver education and the test system, he believes Ministers have "taken a wrong turning" by ruling out conditional or graduated licences.

We now need other influential people to join him in trying to move the government in the right direction during the consultation process.