A coroner has issued a powerful call for a major overhaul of the rules for newly qualified drivers, following the tragic deaths of three teenagers in a Warwickshire crash. The proposed changes could see thousands of young motorists banned from carrying passengers for a period after passing their test.
Tragedy Prompts Call for Graduated Driving Licences
The urgent plea comes from Linda Karen Hadfield Lee, HM Acting Area Coroner for Coventry and Warwickshire. She has written to several organisations, including the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), demanding action. This follows the inquests into the deaths of 16-year-old Matilda 'Tilly' Seccombe, 17-year-old Harry Purcell, and 16-year-old Frank Wormald.
The three friends were killed in a collision near Shipston-on-Stour in April 2023. The driver, Edward Spencer, had passed his test only several weeks before the fatal incident. In April 2025, Spencer was handed a two-year custodial sentence after admitting causing death by careless driving.
How Inexperience and Peer Pressure Combine
In her report, the coroner highlighted a critical gap in current licensing laws. She noted that new drivers can legally carry 'multiple peer-age passengers' immediately after passing, a situation she believes significantly elevates risk.
'This case suggests that inexperience, peer presence and full vehicle loading can combine to elevate risk, and it is unclear how current licensing arrangements address these combined factors,' the report stated.
The coroner's findings pointed out several key shortcomings:
- New drivers are not required to demonstrate an understanding of how passengers affect braking, stability, and vehicle handling.
- The standard driving test does not mandate experience on challenging rural roads with tight bends, undulations, or variable grip.
- Collision risk is highest in the early post-test period, yet licensing does not include a structured progression stage aligned to this danger.
The report formally recommends the consideration of Graduated Driving Licences (GDLs), which could impose restrictions like a six-month ban on carrying young passengers.
Government Response and Road Safety Campaigns
In response to the coroner's report, a spokesperson for the Department for Transport stated: 'Whilst we are not considering graduated driving licences, we absolutely recognise that young people are disproportionately victims of tragic incidents on our roads and continue to tackle this through our THINK! campaign.'
This stance places the government's current focus on education rather than legislative restriction. However, the coroner's powerful intervention, rooted in a specific and devastating case, is likely to intensify the debate around graduated driving licences and whether more robust measures are needed to protect inexperienced drivers and their passengers.
