A bereaved mother whose son died in a car crash in Gwynedd has presented a petition to Downing Street calling for the introduction of graduated driving licences.

Crystal Owen’s son Harvey died alongside three of his friends when their car left the road on a bend and ended up in a water-filled ditch near the village of Llanfrothen in November 2023.

Now a campaign group of bereaved mothers, led by Crystal – who set up the petition – have hand-delivered a 100,000-signature petition to Downing Street, calling for stricter licensing laws for young drivers.

The campaign is backed by Dwyfor Meirionnydd MP Liz Saville Roberts, who recently met Crystal in Westminster to discuss her campaign, which includes the petition signed by over 100,000 people and delivered to the Prime Minister in Downing Street on Wednesday, 2 April.

Crystal Owen and the bereaved mothers at Downing Street
Crystal Owen and the bereaved mothers at Downing Street (Picture supplied)

Statistics reveal that 1 in 5 newly qualified drivers are involved in accidents within their first year of driving, with young drivers being at higher risk of being involved in a fatal crash when carrying peer age passengers.

Almost 5,000 people are seriously injured or killed in a road traffic collision involving a young driver aged 25 and under each year in the UK.

Campaigners want learner drivers between the ages of 17-19 to undergo a minimum six-month learning period before being eligible to sit a practical test to gain experience of different roads and weather conditions; learner drivers should not carry passengers aged 25 or under for the first six months after passing their test (or until they turn 20, whichever comes first); and violating this rule should result in six penalty points, leading to immediate license suspension and the requirement to retake the practical test under the New Drivers Act 1995.

Mrs Saville Roberts also met with road safety charity BRAKE on Wednesday to discuss how MPs can get behind the call for driving licence law changes.

Commenting on the campaign, Mrs Saville Roberts MP said: “The courage with which Crystal Owen has led this campaign so soon after losing her son Harvey in such tragic circumstances is truly admirable. “I recently met Crystal in Westminster to discuss the scope of her campaign and what support I can give as an MP to help raise awareness of driving safety, especially amongst young drivers on rural roads.

“The tragic death of Harvey, alongside three of his friends near Llanfrothen in my constituency underscores that young people are disproportionally affected by road accidents.

“Indeed, so many young drivers are involved in collisions in their first year of driving.

“I've written to the UK Roads Minister to see what measures her government are exploring to improve road safety amongst young drivers, including the merits of a graduated driving licence, designed to provide newly qualified drivers with a staged approach to gaining full driving privileges.

“I will also make representations to my Senedd colleagues to investigate what statutory powers Welsh Government has when it comes to improving driving safety amongst young, newly qualified drivers.”