A mother who campaigned for reform of driving license rules after her son died in a car crash with three other teenagers will attend a road safety debate in parliament this week.
Crystal Owen, 40, wants to see newly qualified drivers serve a probationary period until they are 20 to stop them carrying passengers under the age of 25.
Her son Harvey, 17, died in November 2021 with Jevon Hirst, 16, Wilf Fitchett, 17, and Hugo Moris, 18, when the Silver Ford Fiesta they crashed into a water-filled ditch on a North Wales road.
Miss Owen, a Shrewsbury businesswoman, will attend Tuesday's debate in Westminster where her proposals will be heard.
Last night Crystal Owen told The Mail on Sunday: 'It's frustrating because we know this continues to happen so often and it will continue to happen unless the law is changed.
“We hope that if we come together (forget me not families), the government cannot continue to ignore the problem.”
Asked whether the crash that killed three teenagers in West Yorkshire would have been avoided if her suggestions had been implemented, Miss Owen added: '100 per cent, yes.
“This is ultimately a health measure and it is to protect people.
Crystal Owen, 40, wants newly qualified drivers to serve probation until they are 20 to prevent them from carrying passengers under 25
Her son Harvey, 17, (pictured) died in November 2021 with Jevon Hirst, 16, Wilf Fitchett, 17 and Hugo Moris, 18, when the Silver Ford Fiesta they were in crashed into a water-filled ditch on a road in North Wales
Miss Owen, a Shrewsbury businesswoman, will attend Tuesday's debate in Westminster where her proposals will be heard
“All teenagers, whatever walk of life they come from, when you put them with their friends, it's a different situation.
'Science shows that teenagers' brains are not fully developed until their 20s.
“It has worked in every country where it has been implemented over the years. We just wonder why it took this country so long to implement it. '
Labor MP for Shrewsbury, Julia Buckley, who is chairing the debate, met Miss Owen at her Cupcake Café last week to discuss her views.
Department of Transport statistics show that a younger driver was involved in around a fifth of all 'killed or seriously injured' crashes.
According to road safety experts, this may be because younger drivers are more easily pressured and take more risks.
New drivers are already subject to a two-year probation period, which means they can be disqualified from driving if they accumulate six points, rather than the full 12 required for most drivers.
But if Miss Hill's recommendations are implemented, the law will not only ban recently qualified drivers from taking young passengers, but also require them to train for at least six months before their test.
Teenage friends (clockwise from top left) Harvey Owen, Wilf Fitchett, Hugo Morris and Jevon Hirst were last seen in a silver Ford Fiesta car
Police stare off the road in North Wales as they investigate what caused their deaths
If a new driver is caught with someone under the age of 25 in the passenger seats, they would immediately be hit with six penalty points.
Her plan is known as graduate licensing and is based on successful projects in Canada and New Zealand.
After the death of her son, Miss Owen joined the campaign group 'Forget Me Not Families', which now has 150 families who have lost a child to a car crash.
They are also campaigning for the graduate license after its launch in April 2024.
