Crash victim's mum questions roads safety progress

Crystal Owen met the roads minister and his Labour counterpart last month

The mother of one of four teenagers killed in a crash in north Wales has questioned the lack of progress, after meeting a minister over her campaign for restrictions on young drivers.

Crystal Owen's son Harvey, 17, died with friends Jevon Hirst, Wilf Fitchett and Hugo Morris, after their car overturned on the A4085 in Gwynedd in November.

Ms Owen, from Shrewsbury, wants so-called graduated licences including measures such as a minimum number of driving lessons, restrictions on passenger numbers and rules around driving at night.

She met roads minister Guy Opperman last month, as well as his Labour counterpart Louise Haigh, and wanted evidence if the scheme would not work. The Department for Transport has not commented.

If introduced, the changes proposed by Ms Owen would include safety measures such as a minimum number of driving lessons covering 40 hours and all road conditions, not carrying passengers up to the age of 25 and restrictions on night driving.

Graduated licences are used in a number other countries, including the USA, Canada and Australia, and a petition calling for a similar approach has attracted more than 24,000 signatures.

Ms Owen said they were "the only proven method to reduce crashes involving young drivers because the young age, inexperience and brain development [are] what's causing the crashes".

She said the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety made up of more than 30 organisations had agreed to back her campaign.

Harvey Owen died with friends, after their car overturned in Gwynedd in November

"The government continues to refer to their [Driver] 2020 research project," she said.

"They refuse to publish it, so they're not giving the evidence that they claim they have regarding improving road safety."

Ms Owen said the government had promised to publish the results of that within a month of her meeting on 17 April.

Since then, the prime minister has called an election and many government policies and projects have been put on hold.

The Driver 2020 research scheme has recruited more than 28,000 young drivers since its launch in 2019, using GPS technology, surveys and other tools in a bid to better understand issues affecting road safety for young and novice drivers.

The BBC understands the findings of that are still being assessed.