GDL & the Forget-me-not Families Uniting group
For decades, road casualty data has shown that young and inexperienced drivers are at a far greater risk of being killed or injured in a road crash than any other age group.
Bereaved families, academics and road safety bodies have repeatedly called on successive governments to introduce a Graduated Driving Licensing (GDL) system to ensure that young drivers and passengers are far better protected from road harm. But they have failed to introduce any type of licensing changes, citing concerns around the restriction of young people’s freedom.
However, as the bereaved parents campaigning for GDL know only too well - nothing is more restrictive on a young person's freedom than a fatal road crash.
In other countries across the world, there has been a reduction in deaths and serious injuries in crashes involving young drivers by between 20% and 40%, following the introduction of GDL.
Sharron Huddleston is co-founder of the Forget-me-not Families Uniting group, which is now made up of more than 100 bereaved parents campaigning collectively for GDL. The group formed in April 2024 with the support of RoadPeace, the national charity for road crash victims, Brake, the road safety charity and the Road Victims' Trust.
In this presentation, Sharron and Rebecca Morris from RoadPeace will share the challenging and emotional journey that bereaved families have endured for decades. They will discuss how these families have felt alone, unheard and ignored and highlight the recent glimmer of hope brought about by support from MPs and the widespread media coverage received since the group's launch.
Sharron Huddleston, co-founder of the Forget-me-not Families Uniting group, and Rebecca Morris, Head of Communications at RoadPeace
Sharron Huddleston’s 18-year-old daughter, Caitlin, was killed in a crash on a rural road in Cumbria in July 2017.
She was a passenger in a car, driven by her 18-year-old friend, who also died, who had passed her test just four months previously.
The crash was put down to inexperience of the newly qualified driver. Sharron has been campaigning for Graduated Driving Licensing ever since.
Rebecca Morris is Head of Communications at RoadPeace, the national charity for road crash victims. Rebecca has been a road safety marketing and PR specialist for 20 years and is passionate about reducing road harm.
She supported the launch of the Forget-me-not Families Uniting campaign group, securing widespread local and national media coverage. She appeared on BBC Breakfast alongside Sharron Huddleston and Dr Ian Greenwood in April and has secured ongoing coverage of the campaign on the show.