AA President tells GMB how one road rule could ‘prevent serious injuries’

Edmund King, President of roadside assistance firm AA, has spoken out about the need for a new driving rule that specifically impacts young drivers. The expert told Good Morning Britain’s Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid that there is an urgent need for action, after noticing a devastating trend of teenage road crashes.

He told presenters: “What we find is in the first six months of passing your test, particularly with young males, they are more than twice as likely to have a crash. And if there are other other occupants of the same age in the car, that goes to four times as much.”

To help combat this, King believes that a ‘G-plate’ should be displayed on young drivers’ cars in the UK, with ‘G’ short for ‘Graduate driver’. Similar initiatives have been introduced already in New Zealand, Australia and various other countries – and King suggests it’s working well.

“What all the evidence says from New Zealand, Australia, Canada and other countries,[is] that it actually has reduced deaths and serious injuries by between 20 and 40%, which is quite significant,” he explained.

“So, we think in the UK if it was introduced with this six-month period it would save at least 58 lives a year and almost 1,000 serious injuries. And, if you think about it, there are more people actually killed and seriously injured in road crashes than drink, drugs, knives and other things.

“If this was happening on the railways on this level, there would be a public inquiry, you know, Government would sit up. But because, unfortunately, it’s a drip-drip approach and what got us involved was almost every morning reading the weekend’s press. ‘Three teenagers hit tree and die, four teenagers [etc]’… Something radical has to be done.”

Kings thoughts come just days after eight people, including five teenage boys, were left injured after a horror car crash in Staffordshire, according to StokeonTrentLive. One teenager was reported to have suffered ‘life-threatening injuries’.

On Friday, a spokesperson told the publication: “On arrival crews discovered eight patients, five of whom were male teenagers, all from the same car. One of them was treated for life-threatening injuries, whilst a second was treated for serious injuries. Both were then conveyed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

“Two were treated for serious injuries before being conveyed to Birmingham Children’s Hospital, whilst the final teenager was taken to New Cross Hospital after receiving treatment for potentially serious injuries. There were three patients from the second car, two women and a man, all of whom were treated for minor injuries and discharged at the scene.”