Government road safety strategy 'welcomed', says Kidderminster mum of teen killed in Shropshire crash
Leanne Vaughan's 17-year-old daughter Lily-May died when the car she was a passenger in crashed in February 2023, with the driver being found guilty and sentenced for causing her death by dangerous driving
The mum of a Kidderminster teenager killed in a crash in Shropshire has said the government's road safety strategy is a 'step in the right direction'.
Government announced the plan last Wednesday (7 January), the first one in more than a decade, which aims to reduce deaths and serious injuries on Britain’s roads by 65% by 2035, with a target of 70% for children under 16, with approximately 4 people dying on them every day.
In it, it promises to save thousands of lives on the nation’s roads by tackling drink driving, improving training for young drivers and introducing mandatory eye tests for older motorists.
It's now consulting on lowering the drink-drive limit in England and Wales, bringing in mandatory eyesight testing for those over 70 and a 3 or 6 month minimum learning period to give drivers more time to develop their skills in varied conditions.
Leanne Vaughan's 17-year-old daughter Lily-May from Kidderminster died when the car she was a passenger in came off and crashed on an unnamed road in Shawbury Heath, Shropshire on 4 February 2023.
Driver of the vehicle Logan Addison, who was also Lily-May's boyfriend, was found guilty of causing her death by dangerous driving following a trial last year and sentenced to five years and six months in prison.
Leanne has been campaigning for stronger laws for young drivers to keep them safe and that the transport minister has made a start to addressing that through this road safety strategy.
"It’s good that the minister has taken on board four people killed on our roads every single day is totally unacceptable, especially when it is preventable," she said.
"The fact she has listened and made some steps towards that, she does meet with families, she knows about Lily-May, and she has taken on board the inexperience does cause lots of the deaths.
"I want to continue working with the government, I think this is a really good first change, but it's just the beginning, we've got to build on this now."
Also included in the government's plans is new measures to target illegal number plates while cracking down on uninsured drivers and vehicles without a valid MOT.