Mum of boy who died in North Wales crash campaigns for licence changes

Hugo Morris, 18, Jevon Hirst, 16, Harvey Owen, 17, and Wilf Fitchett, 17, all from the Shropshire area, drowned after Hugo lost control of the Ford Fiesta he was driving during an Eryri camping trip last November.

Crystal Owen, Harvey’s mother, is calling for “graduated driving licences” for new drivers aged 17 to 19, and has proposed the following “reasonable changes”:

• Learner drivers should undergo a minimum six-month learning period before being eligible for a practical test, ensuring they gain valuable experience on a variety of roads and in different weather conditions.
• For the first six months after passing their test (or until they turn 20, whichever comes first), they should not carry passengers aged 25 or younger unless accompanied by an older adult.
• Violating this rule should result in six penalty points, leading to immediate license suspension and the requirement to retake their practical test.

She said exemptions could apply for young parents taking their own dependents, people who qualify for the enhanced rate of mobility component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), or members of the Armed Forces or other drivers in the course of their in-work duties.

Following the conclusion of the inquests into the teenagers’ deaths last week, Kate Robertson, senior coroner for North West Wales, sent a Prevention of Future Deaths report to the Department for Transport.

In this report, she raised concerns that deaths will continue to occur where younger people are carried in cars being driven by newly qualified and/or young drivers – Hugo had passed his test six months prior to the crash.

Ms Owen’s petition can be signed at: www.change.org/p/safer-driving-licensing-for-newly-qualified-17-19-year-olds.

Harvey Owen (Image: Crystal Owen) She said: “We just want the government to figure out what would work for the UK. I never knew Harvey was being driven by this young driver, I thought it was one of the parents.

“As a parent, you try and protect them in every way, keep tabs on them, whether they’ve got their helmet on their bike… but at that age, you cannot control that.

“The statistics are there to prove they’re at risk and the government aren’t protecting them. There is no way I would have let Harvey go on that trip. Lots of people were able to navigate that road within the same day and not crash.

“My personal experience of Harvey was that he had no sense of danger; he was a typical teenage lad. I wouldn’t have allowed somebody I didn’t know (to drive him) for starters, but also a young lad of that age to drive them all the way to Wales.

“This law could really educate parents.”

Crystal and Harvey Owen (Image: Crystal Owen) Ms Owen, who said she felt “lucky” and “very pleased” that Ms Robertson decided to issue a Prevention of Future Deaths report, has also written to the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, asking for a meeting with him about her concerns.

A previous petition she started garnered 25,000 signatures, but progress was halted after the July general election was called and Parliament was dissolved.

She is also part of Forget-me-not Families Uniting, a group of more than 150 bereaved families as a result of graduated driving licences not being law.

Ms Owen added: “Bereaved parents of knife crime have had meetings (with Prime Ministers). Why is my child’s death any less important?

“We’re all hoping that, together, they can’t just ignore this.”

The AA has also shown its support for Ms Owen’s campaigning, estimating that at least 58 lives could be saved by introducing graduated driving licences in the UK.

Introducing such a system could also see at least 260 serious injuries avoided on UK roads, it said.

A photo of the four teenagers, Jevon Hirst, Harvey Owen, Wilf Fitchett, and Hugo Morris, who died in a car crash in Snowdonia, North Wales, by candles and a sympathy card inside Shrewsbury Abbey. (Image: PA) Its chief executive, Jakob Pfaudler, has written to the transport secretary, Louise Haigh, to highlight its strengthened calls for the introduction of graduated driving licences.

Mr Pfaudler said: “Graduated driver licensing has been proven in other countries to significantly reduce road deaths and serious injuries.

 “Figures show 290 people were killed in young driver crashes last year, with more than 1,300 seriously injured.

“Not only is this a tragic waste of life, but it contributes to the burden of high insurance premiums for young drivers.

“These premiums should fall when there is evidence of a reduction of young drivers and passengers killed and seriously injured.

“We are calling on the Transport Secretary to make simple, pragmatic changes to the licensing process so young people are better protected in their first few months of independent driving.” 

Composite of undated handout photos issued by North Wales Police of Jevon Hirst, Harvey Owen, Hugo Morris, and Wilf Henderson. (Image: NWP) Though, the Department for Transport said it is “not considering graduated driving licences” currently.

A spokesperson for the department said: “Every death on our roads is a tragedy and our thoughts remain with the families of everyone who has lost a loved one in this way.

“Whilst we are not considering graduated driving licences, we absolute recognise that young people are disproportionately victims of tragic incidents on our roads, and we are considering other measures to tackle this problem and protect young drivers.

“That’s why we are committed to delivering a new Road Safety Strategy – the first in over a decade – and will set out next steps on this in due course.”

Sharron Huddleston, who formed the Forget-me-not Families Uniting group, said: “Graduated licences are a crucial issue. How many more young people need to die before action is taken?

“Our message is simple – listen to us, listen to the experts, listen to the AA, and learn from other countries, who have seen a huge reduction in young driver and passenger deaths after introducing graduated driving licensing for young novice drivers.

“My daughter, Caitlin, would be alive today if action had been taken when the concept of graduated licences was floated years ago.”