L for Later

Campaigning for young driver safety

Young drivers are involved in a huge proportion of road crashes, due to a combination of inexperience and a tendency of many to take risks.

L for Later is a campaign to end the tragedy of young driver death and injury on our roads by learning from international best practice and urging the Government to be bold in its ambition.

What are we calling for?

Through our L for Later campaign, Brake is calling for:

The introduction of graduated driver licensing (GDL)
Compulsory road safety education
Better access to affordable public transport for young people

To help young people be safer as drivers and passengers, we need a better driver training and testing system and compulsory road safety education. That's why we call for graduated driver licensing (GDL), a system that allows new drivers to develop skills and experience gradually while being less exposed to danger.

Brake calls for a GDL system that includes a 12-month learner period, an initial test, and then a novice period when new drivers can drive independently but with restrictions – such as a late-night driving curfew. This system has been proven to work in countries around the world and it's predicted it would prevent 400 deaths and serious injuries a year in the UK.

To support the mobility of young people, Brake also calls for better access to affordable public transport, so fewer need to start driving in their teens.

Key facts:

10–20% of new drivers have a crash within the first six months of passing their test.
In Britain, drivers under 25 make up only 7% of licence holders but represent nearly 20% of drivers killed or seriously injured in a crash.
Drivers under 25 are 3 times more likely to be in a reported personal injury accident and 3 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured per mile driven.
In 2016 almost 15% of road crashes were caused by drivers aged between 17-24 years old.

Take action

Tweet your support: @Brakecharity, #LforLater
Make Brake's Pledge to drive safely, whether you are young or old
Write to your MP calling for graduated driver licensing to stop young driver crashes
Sign up to our monthly bulletin for updates on our campaigns and how you can help
Run a community campaign with young people, with Brake's help
Fundraise to support Brake's campaigns and vital support work
Sign up for the UK's flagship road safety event, Road Safety Week, in November