Councillors will debate a call to improve road safety next week in the wake of a horror crash earlier this month, in which a Blackburn taxi driver was killed and three Bolton teenagers died.
The crash happened in Wigan Road, Bolton, on Sunday, January 11, when a red Seat Leon collided with a Citroen C4 Picasso shortly before one am.
Taxi driver and 54-year-old father of four, Masrob Ali, of Ash Street, Blackburn, died as a result of the collision.
The Seat’s driver, Mohammed Jibrael Mukhtar, 18, and two of his passengers, Mohammad-Danyaal Ashgar-Ali, 19, and Farhan Imtiyaz Patel, 18 – all from Bolton – also died.
Following the crash, Blackburn with Darwen Council’s full Council Forum meeting on Thursday will debate a motion on ‘improving road safety and reducing collisions involving young people’.
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It backs the introduction of a Graduated Driving Licence (GDL) for newly-qualified young drivers.
It will be moved by the authority’s digital and customer services boss, Councillor Shaukat Hussain, and seconded by his Bastwell and Daisyfield ward colleague Cllr Parwaiz Akhtar.
The motion says: “Young drivers aged 17 to 24 remain statistically more likely to be involved in serious road traffic collisions compared with other age groups.
“On Wigan Road, Bolton, a tragic collision on January 11 resulted in four fatalities, including three teenagers aged 18 and 19 and a taxi driver in his 50s, after a head-on crash involving a red Seat Leon and a Citroen C4 taxi.
“Five additional passengers were injured and required hospital treatment, demonstrating the severity and far-reaching impact of incidents involving young drivers.
“This council extends its heartfelt condolences to the families, friends, classmates, and wider community affected by the tragic loss of Mohammed Jibrael Mukhtar, Farhan Patel, Muhammad Danyaal Asghar Ali and Mosrab Ali following the collision.
“We recognise the profound grief felt across both Blackburn and Bolton communities.
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“This council believes the crash in Wigan Road and similar events up and down the country highlight the urgent need for improved safety measures, education, and interventions aimed at reducing risks for young drivers and early engagement with young people, before and after they obtain a driving licence, is essential to fostering safer attitudes and driving behaviours.
“Young and newly qualified drivers are disproportionately represented in serious and fatal road traffic collisions.
“Research from Canada shows strong safety benefits from GDL systems, which include staged learner periods, zero-alcohol rules, night-time restrictions, passenger limits, and requirements for supervised practice.
“These systems have demonstrably reduced collision risks among drivers aged 15 to 24.
“This council believes that the UK should align with international best practice and explore the feasibility of implementing a GDL system in Great Britain.”
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