Caitlin Huddleston and Skye Mitchell

Coroner's concerns

AI summary

Inexperienced young drivers carrying multiple passengers face increased distraction and risk, highlighting the need for a Graduated Driving Licence Scheme with passenger restrictions and other safety measures.

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and Skye Skye

(1) That was a driver with only 4 months driving experience after passing her driving test; (2) That she was accompanied by 2 friends of similar age in the car; (3) The circumstances of the loss of control are likely to be a direct result of the inexperience of the driver; (4) Whilst we do not know this is the case it is likely that Catlin and Iwould be having discussions in the car at the time, and these may have distracted Skye when driving; (5) The carrying of passengers in the car increases the likelihood of death or injury not only to the driver but also to the passengers being carried, therefore multiplies the risk: AcTION Should Be TAKEN In my opinion action should be taken to prevent future deaths and believe you, The Department of Transport, have the power to take such action; The action that have in mind is that consideration should be given to establishing a "Graduated Driving Licence Scheme' that would: (1) Ensure that the driving test would emphasise the risks of driving with passengers in the car (2) Enable a new driver to build up their driving skills experience (3) Provide restrictions on a new driver for a limited period of time, for example for 6 months, limiting the ability of a new driver to carry passengers who have no or limited driving experience, and only carrying passengers who had sufficient experience (such a5 parents, driving instructors, etc) understand that Graduated Driving Licence Schemes (in various guises) are in place in some countries and that there has been an indication of substantial success in reducing deaths and injuries as a result: Whilst the following matters were not relevant to the circumstances of the road traffic collision involving Caitlin and Skye'$ deaths, the Graduated Driving Licence scheme may apply to new drivers to: (a) Limit their speed (b) Limit the time of when they can drive (c) Limit or bar the consumption of alcohol (d) Limit or bar the use of telephones (e) Encourage the use of seatbelts (0) Consider the use of "black box" technology to monitor the use of vehicles by new drivers understand such schemes are in force in: Northern Ireland Ontario, Canada Some States in the USA New Zealand Australia

Responses

2 respondents

Department for Transport July Central Government

8 Jul 2021 PDF

Noted

The Department for Transport acknowledges the concerns regarding Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) but states it has no current plans to enforce further restrictions due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and potential detrimental effects on young people. They will continue to monitor the pilot scheme in Northern Ireland. (AI summary)

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Dear Patrick,

Thank you for your email of 25 June to Minister about the Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) scheme. I am replying as the Minister responsible for road safety.

I would like to start by saying that I am aware of the tragic incident involving Ms Huddleston and Ms Mitchell. I have met with Ms Huddleston’s family, their local MP and a number of road safety charities on the matter of GDL.

Since your letter with MP in 2018, the Department has continued to improve road safety in the United Kingdom. In 2019 the Department published its refreshed Road Safety Statement – ‘A Lifetime of Road Safety’ and two-year action plan. 15 of the 74 actions in the plan addressed road safety risks faced by young adults learning to drive.

For young road users the Department’s broad aim is to improve road safety for young people through new technology and research; and particularly for young drivers, developing better learning opportunities and targeted educational messaging.

The latest statistics show that the number of young car drivers (age 17-24) fatalities on Britain’s roads is falling.

However, we do acknowledge that in terms of population and in the number of miles driven, 17-24 year olds remain one of the highest fatality risk groups, especially males, both as car drivers and passengers.

In the 2018 letter to MP there is reference to the Driver 2020 project. The Driver 2020 project (an evaluation of interventions to improve the safety of young novice drivers) commenced in January 2019 and over 28,000 learner and novice drivers have been recruited. We expect the project to report in early 2023. Minister for Roads, Buses and Places

Great Minster House 33 Horseferry Road London SW1P 4DR

Tel: E-Mail:

Web site: www.gov.uk/dft

Our Ref:

Our work in educating the Young Driver group has also progressed with the following actions undertaken:

• In March 2019, DfT’s THINK! team ran a campaign directly targeting new drivers “The Road Whisperer” campaign. As 1 in 5 drivers crash within the first year after their test, this campaign is aimed at young drivers who feel vulnerable on the road and may take risks on the road to overcompensate for their inexperience. Through the character of the Road Whisperer, who shared wisdom with young drivers about challenging situations like driving at night or on country roads, the campaign communicated the message that it takes time to learn the ways of the road. This campaign was viewed on social media by an estimated 13.8 million times within the young people community.

• In March 2020, we funded the Driving Instructors Association (DIA) to develop a modular approach to learning. The vision of modular learning is to potentially reduce young driver collision risks without posing greater restrictions on young people, or increasing the costs or time taken to learn to drive. Whilst the Driver 2020 project includes interventions designed to increase the amount and variety of pre-test practice (the logbook), this intervention is distinct as it also uses e- learning and includes assessment of learners’ competence during the training period.

• The Driver and Vehicles Standards Agency’s (DVSA) 5-year strategy, “Helping you stay safe on Britain’s Roads”, includes actions to ensure that new drivers are better prepared for a lifetime of safe driving and have access to guidance, advice and training that helps to keep them safe.

• Changes were made to the practical driving test in December 2017. The independent driving section, where the candidate must drive for 20 minutes without detailed guidance by the examiner, provides more relevant ‘real world’ situations for the assessment of a candidate’s ability to manage the vehicle, route and traffic simultaneously. The new test means that they spend less time on minor roads for manoeuvres enabling test routes to focus on high risk areas, such as busier roundabouts, rural and higher speed roads, where collisions occur.

Whilst the Department for Transport acknowledges the recommendation on continuing research into Graduated Driver Licensing, the Department will not be commissioning any research into the social and economic consequences of GDL.

In March 2020, the Government submitted evidence to the Transport Select Committee on Young and Novice Drivers on GDL and I attended an evidence session in October 2020. The Department for Transport take any consideration of restrictions on any road users very seriously, particularly those in rural areas for access to education, employment and leisure.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this Government has no current plans to enforce any further restrictions which could be detrimental to the younger generation. We are also conscious that any move to place any form of restrictions on young and novice drivers would be detrimental to their education and employment prospects, as well as the potential to negatively affect their social and mental health during the national recovery from COVID. These effects would also be felt more severely in rural or socio-economically challenged areas in the United Kingdom.

We remain of the opinion that statistics from other countries who use a form of licensing restrictions show that it is not comparable nor necessary in the United Kingdom at this time for young and novice drivers.

The Department for Transport is also regularly in touch with its counterparts at the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. The Graduated Pilot Scheme due to be trailed in Northern Ireland remains a priority for their Minister, however COVID has greatly affected their plans and time scales for the project. The scheme has not yet started and is expected to be delayed by the disruption to services.

The Northern Ireland Executive are unable to provide any findings at this time. To that end, the Department is also unable to offer any conclusion on the impact of GDL in Northern Ireland. We remain in close contact with colleagues and look forward to any update in the future.

Department for Transport November Central Government

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Action Taken

The Department for Transport is using the introduction of GDL in Northern Ireland as a pilot to gather evidence on the potential for GDL in Great Britain. They have also allowed learner drivers on motorways when accompanied by an Approved Driving Instructor in a dual control car and increased the penalty for using a handheld mobile phone while driving. (AI summary)

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From the Minister of Stale Department for Transport Great Minster House 33 Horseleny Road London Robert Chapman SWIP 4DR HM Assistant Coroner for Cumbria Tel: Fairfield Email: Station Road Web site: WWW:gOv.ukldi Cockermouth Our Ref: CA13 9PT Your Ref 2 0 NOV 2018 Aezv Mv Chspn^ ~ Thank you for your letter of 26 September tol regarding the Regulation 28 Report in relation to the deaths Of Caitlin Lydia Huddleston and Skye Olivia Mitchell: am replying as the Minister responsible for road safety: am very sorry to hear of the tragic deaths of Ms Huddleston and Ms Mitchell and send my sincere condolences to their families and friends. also send my best wishes to land in their continuing recovery: The Government is committed to improving safety for all road users, especially young drivers, who are at a greater risk of being involved in a collision and have noted your recommendation that a form of Graduated Driving Licensing (GDL) should be considered. The Prime Minister has also asked the Department to look into the benefits of GDL following a question in the House of Commons: There is evidence from countries in which GDL has been implemented to suggest that it can have a beneficial effect on road safety. There are a number of approaches to GDL; these include increasing the skills and experience of young and novice drivers in structured steps, and placing restrictions post-test as you mention in your report; for example by restricting who they can carry in the vehicle or preventing night-time driving: However, the Department needs to be sure that the benefits of introducing GDL to the UK are balanced against the potential risks and costs of the restrictions on the young drivers themselves, as many (especially in rural areas) use their cars to get to work or college.

For this reason, the Department has decided to use the introduction of GDL in Northern Ireland as a pilot; to gather evidence on the potential for GDL in Great Britain: The Northern Irish Government has consulted on secondary legislation to a number of provisions into force, including passenger carrying restrictions and a six month mandatory minimum learning period. Officials from both the Department and Northern Ireland are currently discussing how to take this work forward: In April 2017, the Department commissioned a E2 million research programme to explore the effectiveness of five technological and educational measures to improve the safety of young and novice drivers, both before they take their test and after they have passed: The aim of the study is to provide thorough evidence as to whether any of the interventions produce clear road safety benefits and reduce collision risk: The measures being tested are:
1) Using telematics devices and a mobile app to guide and provide feedback to new drivers during their first 12 months of driving post-test: For example, by highlighting data on speeding, smoothness (cornering, braking and acceleration) and exposure to risk (frequency of and length of journeys):
2) Hazard perception training, designed to increase skills in drivers as they approach (and potentially just after begin) solo driving:
3) A training log-book to increase the amount and type of on-road practice that learner drivers obtain before taking their practical driving test
4) A 'mentor agreement' which involves the setting of voluntary limits, agreed between the young driver and a parent or guardian, designed to reduce exposure to risky driving situations during the first months of solo driving:
5) An interactive educational intervention, to teach learner drivers about risk factors involved in independent driving, delivered over the course of a day in a classroom setting: Better hazard perception skills are crucial to improving road safety and we have used our 'Innovation Challenge Fund' to investigate how new technology, including virtual reality, can help learner drivers hone their hazard perception skills before taking their tests: The Department is also currently taking forward a number of road safety measures in accordance with its publically stated road safety priorities, through the Road Safety Statement: Recent changes include allowing learner bring they

drivers on motorways when accompanied by an Approved Driving Instructor in a dual control car and increasing the penalty for using a handheld mobile phone while driving to six penalty points and a E200 In June, issued a written statement to Parliament announcing four priority road user groups that are to be addressed in a forthcoming two year road safety action plan: One of the groups is to be addressed is Young Road Users, which will include Young Drivers. Full details of the June announcement can be found at: https IlWW gv uklgovernment/speecheskroad-safety-recent-progress-and: future-work A copy of your Regulation 28 report for this case is with policy officials in the Department looking into options for GDL, and your recommendations will be considered as part of their continuing work in this area. Thank You again for sending them to the Department. fine.

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Investigation and inquest

On 02/08/2017 commenced an investigation into the deaths of Caitlin Lydia Huddleston and Skye Olivia Mitchell: The investigations concluded at the end of the inquests on the 21st September 2018. The essence of the two conclusions given at the end of the two inquests was that on the 14 July 2017 Caitlin Huddleston was the front seat passenger in a car being driven by Skye Mitchell on the A595 near Bootle Cumbria. The driver lost control on a bend on the wet road, moving across the road into the path of an oncoming van. Both Ms Huddleston and Ms Mitchell died at the scene from the injuries they received in the collision. Paramedics confirmed their deaths. The cause of death in both cases was 1.a. Multiple Injuries The Conclusion in both cases was of "Death as a result of injuries sustained in a Road Traffic Collision"

Circumstances of the death

On the 14 July 2017 Caitlin Huddleston was with friends Skye Mitchell and_ all of whom were 18 years of age, travelling in a Tovota Yaris motor car on the A595 northbound from Millom in Cumbria to a restaurant at Gosforth, Cumbria, Skye was driving the car which was owned by her father. Caitlin was the front seat passenger, and) was in the rear seat: The road was wet from rain and the vehicle has failed to negotiate a left hand bend: Skye has lost control moved initially to the left and then over-corrected and slewed sideways to the right, crossing the opposite carriageway and colliding with a white van being driven in the opposite direction, by Patrick Troll: The nearside of the Toyota was "t boned" by the front of the white van causing significant intrusion into the passenger side of the Toyota. Caitlin was the front seat passenger and trapped in the vehicle: She was given CPR but was pronounced dead at the scene_ was taken from the drivers seat by members of the public who gave CPR in a attempt to resuscitate her however was also pronounced dead at the scene: Iwas the rear seat passenger and was extracted from the vehicle suffering life changing injuries_ The van driver also received life changing injuries Caitlin, Skye and were ali wearing seat belts was not_ Neither driver, nor passengers, had consumed any alcohol. Skye had passed her driving test on the 15 March 2017, just 4 months before the collision, and was described by her mother as being a nervous driver who panicked some times_ The evidence from the police collision investigator was that it was likely that the loss of control on the bend was as a result of the bend being taken too quickly in the wet conditions, which may have arisen from her lack of experience as a new driver.

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