Pendle MP hits out after forcing Govertnment to reveal accident statistics

10:00pm Tuesday 13th May 2008

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AN MP has put pressure on the government to bring in tougher learner driver measures by forcing them to reveal car crash statistics involving youngsters.

Gordon Prentice, MP for Pendle, demanded that transport minister Jim Fitzpatrick revealed how many people under the age of 21 had been killed in road smashes since 2000.

And he said that the massive numbers of young men beign killed while young men were driving highlights the need for tougher action.

His request came after the government unveiled plans to change the driving test to reduce the number of accidents involving inexperienced drivers - but failed to include measures such as graduated licensing which have proven highly effective in other countries.

When questioned in Parliament, Mr Fitzpatrick said that 2,460 men and 446 women - a total of 2,906 people - had died in accidents where the driver was male and under the age of 21.

In comparison 138 men and 357 women - a total of 495 people - had died in accidents where the driver was female and under 21.

Mr Prentice has thrown his weight behind the Lancashire Telegraph's Wasted Lives campaign, which is calling for a series of tough legislative and educational reforms that could cut the carnage created by young drivers.

These include a graduated licensing scheme, where drivers gradually have restrictions lifted as they gain more experience, and the raising of the driving age to 18.

Mr Prentice said: "These truly shocking statistics cry out for action. Young men under 21 are particularly dangerous behind the wheel. On average, there are six times as many young male drivers killed as young women."

The MP slammed the government for its "Learning to Drive" consultation paper, which proposed changes to the driver training programme including instructor rating systems and a structured syllabus that would include 'real' driving at night time and in poor weather conditions.

It ignored the idea of putting restrictions on the number of passengers a novice driver can carry or night time curfews for the inexperienced - both suggested by Wasted Lives.

"Unfortunately the Government has taken a wrong turning on this one," said Mr Prentice. "The Government is right to propose steps to improve the learning and testing process but wrong to rule out conditional or graduated licences which would put restrictions on what a learner driver could do until he or she passed the final test of competence."

The MP added: "In Pendle and elsewhere in East Lancashire I often drive past places where young people have died in a car crash. Years later, I still remember the news stories about these terrible tragedies.