25/03/2024
It is a well documented fact that young male drivers have a high accident rate in the uk.
A new BBC documentary has been released, telling the story of Sammy Phillips, a teenager killed on the roads in February 2023.
Sammy, who was just 19 years of age, and a 22-year-old friend, were the occupants of a BMW when it crashed into a tree on the A4130 near Bix, Oxfordshire, killing both.
The documentary, which is available to watch on BBC iPlayer, is led by Jamie Morris, Sammy’s older brother.
Jaime told the BBC he feared the combination of young men and cars was “lethal”.
Jamie, from Llangynog, Wales, said he remembered “hyperventilating” when he learned of his brother’s death.
“It was just tears and crying,” he said. “You are just broken.”
Government casualty statistics show young male car drivers are four times as likely to be killed or seriously injured compared with all older drivers.
The documentary advocates changing the driving system to better support young drivers.
Dr Elizabeth Box, research director at the RAC Foundation, featured in the documentary.
Dr Box said: “The clear message that Jamie presents is that young males are more likely to take risks as a result of their age, experience and stage of brain development, and that we should be doing more to develop a driving system that takes account of this reality.
“I wholeheartedly support this call from Jamie and Justine and would encourage everyone to watch and share this documentary, which was so courageous of Jamie to make.”
Speaking to the BBC, both Dr Box and Dr Shaun Helman (TRL) believe graduated driving licences could stop between 20% and 40% of crashes involving young drivers, who currently account for a fifth of all road deaths and serious injuries in the UK each year.
Graduated driving licences could see a minimum supervised learning period, curfews and a limit to the number of passengers new drivers can carry.
Dr Helman said for all young people, carrying passengers of their own age in a “party car” scenario increased the risk.
He said: “The more passengers you have with you, the more likely it is that you’re going to crash.”
Related: ‘MPs must act to save young drivers’ lives’