New campaign backs introduction of Graduated Driving Licences
MPs and bereaved families have launched a new campaign urging the government to re-think its position on introducing Graduated Driving Licences.
The event, in Parliament, came at the start of Road Safety Week and ahead of the government’s highly anticipated new road safety strategy, the first in a decade, which could be published next month.
Kim Leadbeater MP told the gathering that the idea for tougher rules for new drivers “transcends party politics” and could leave to “saving people’s lives”.
Five young adults died in a crash in Ireland on Saturday night. Pic: PA
Organisations, including fire services, police and crime commissioners, motoring organisations as well as road safety charities, are behind a new website, “Protect Young Drivers: Time for Change”, which documents the case for introducing stronger measures.
Graduated Driving Licences (GDLs) is a system designed to give new drivers a staggered approach to gaining full privileges on the road, such as driving at night or with a full car of passengers.
The system has been successful in countries including Canada and Australia at reducing the number of young people killed or seriously injured.
“I feel as a bereaved parent we are very easily dismissed”
Last year 22% of fatalities on Britain’s roads involved a young person behind the wheel.
Data released by the Department for Transport also shows that male drivers aged 17-24 are four times more likely to be killed or seriously injured than all drivers aged over 25.
At the start of the launch a one minute silence was held to remember victims of road traffic accidents – including five young adults who died in a crash in Ireland on Saturday night.
Chris Taylor, who lost his 18-year-old daughter Rebecca in a road traffic collision in 2008, said the grief doesn’t go away.
“I feel as a bereaved parent we are very easily dismissed,” he said. “We’ve got an opportunity. Together we are a movement that can create real change.”
The Department for Transport has previously told Sky News it is not considering GDLs.
“Every death on our roads is a tragedy and our thoughts are with everyone who has lost a loved one in this way,” said a spokesperson.
“Whilst we are not considering Graduated Driving Licences, we absolutely recognise that young people are disproportionately victims of tragic incidents on our roads and continue to tackle this through our THINK! campaign.
“We are considering other measures to address this problem and protect young drivers, as part of our upcoming strategy for road safety – the first in over a decade.”
A growing rift has emerged in Washington, D.C., between the cryptocurrency industry and labor unions as lawmakers debate whether to ease rules allowing cryptocurrencies in 401(k) retirement accounts.
The dispute centers on proposed market structure legislation that would allow retirement accounts to gain exposure to crypto, a move labor groups say could expose workers to speculative risk. In a letter sent on Wednesday to the US Senate Banking Committee, the American Federation of Teachers argued that cryptocurrencies are too volatile for pension and retirement savings, warning that workers could face significant losses.
The letter drew immediate pushback from crypto investors and industry figures. “The American Federation of Teachers has somehow developed the most logically incoherent, least educated take one could possibly author on the matter of crypto market structure regulation,” a crypto investor said on X.
In response to the letter, Castle Island Ventures partner Sean Judge said the bill would improve oversight and reduce systemic risk, while enabling pension funds to access an asset class that has delivered strong long-term returns.
Consensys attorney Bill Hughes said the AFT’s opposition to the crypto market structure bill was politically motivated, accusing the group of acting as an extension of Democratic lawmakers.
Related: Atkins says SEC has ‘enough authority’ to drive crypto rules forward in 2026
Opposition to crypto in retirement and pension funds mounts
Proponents of allowing crypto in retirement portfolios, on the other hand, argue that it democratizes finance, while trade unions have voiced strong opposition to relaxing current regulations, claiming that crypto is too risky for traditional retirement plans.
“Unregulated, risky currencies and investments are not where we should put pensions and retirement savings. The wild, wild west is not what we need, whether it’s crypto, AI, or social media,” AFT president Randi Weingarten said on Thursday.
The AFT represents 1.8 million teachers and educational professionals in the US and is one of the largest teachers’ unions in the country.
According to Better Markets, a nonprofit and nonpartisan advocacy organization, cryptocurrencies are too volatile for traditional retirement portfolios, and their high volatility can create time-horizon mismatches for pension investors seeking a predictable, low-volatility retirement plan.
In October, the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) also wrote to Congress opposing provisions within the crypto market structure regulatory bill.
The AFL-CIO, the largest federation of trade unions in the US, wrote that cryptocurrencies are volatile and pose a systemic risk to pension funds and the broader financial system.
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