Rutland mum calls for new driving law after son's death

A mother whose son was killed in a high-speed crash is calling for tougher laws for young drivers.

Gillian Dickinson's son, Jake Hankins, 17, was a passenger in a car travelling at more than 120 mph on the A612, Nottinghamshire, in September 2022.

The 19-year-old driver of the car lost control and hit an oncoming vehicle.

Mrs Dickinson, from Rutland, wants the government to introduce graduated licences, which include restrictions for newly-qualified drivers.

Jake, from Ketton, was a passenger in the back of the car when the incident happened.

He was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash in Gonalston, along with the driver, Harvey Holehouse, who was from Woodborough, Nottinghamshire.

Another passenger and the driver of the other car suffered serious injuries.

Mrs Dickinson said Jake had been looking forward to taking his driving test and had bought his first car the day before he died.

She said: "I've lost Jake. There's no way of explaining to anybody who's not in those circumstances, how much it affects you and breaks your heart."

Mrs Dickinson is now calling on the government to tighten legislation around new drivers to help cut down the number of deaths on the roads.

She said: "There's a remedy, there's statistics. Just look at it and do something. It's not that difficult. You'll save lives and you'll save heartbreak."

Mrs Dickinson has joined about 70 other bereaved families who are campaigning for graduated driving licences to be made law.

"We need to get our voices together and get somebody to listen," she said. "We need to change the law."

Labour MP Kim Leadbeater introduced a new law proposing graduated driving licences in Parliament on Tuesday.

Under the proposed legislation, newly-qualified drivers would face certain restrictions for the first six months after passing a driving test, including a zero-alcohol limit.

Ms Leadbeater introduced her Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (New Drivers) Bill under the so-called Ten Minute Rule.

Her bill will receive its second reading on 17 May.

The latest UK government figures from 2022 suggest a fifth of all fatal or serious injury crashes involve a young driver.

Young male drivers, aged 17-24, are four times as likely to be killed or seriously injured compared with all car drivers aged 25 or over.

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