Local Lib Dems call for a ‘P’ plate scheme for new drivers!
By Mathew Hulbert - Regional Media Co-ordinator
Originally published by East Midlands Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats in the East Midlands have supported calls for a new 'P' (Probation) Plate scheme for new drivers.
The call was made at the party's regional Conference in Leicester on Saturday.
It would be like a graduated licence scheme, such as those in place in Australia and New Zealand.
Restrictions could be placed on the cc of the car the new driver could drive in their first year after passing their test, a maximum number of passengers, and a maximum speed on motorways.
Currently, according to official figures, one in four people killed or seriously injured in road crashes is either a young driver or a passenger in a vehicle driven by a young driver.
More than a hundred Liberal Democrats from across the region took part in a number of policy debates and heard a speech from new Government Minister, Norman Lamb MP.
Regional Party Chairman, Tony Rogers, says: "The East Midlands Liberal Democrats has once again proved itself to be a campaigning Party and forward thinking in terms of policy ideas, and Conference predicted that the recent successful by-election results in parts of the region will be repeated by Liberal Democrats elsewhere in the East Midlands."
Notes for Editors
The motion passed by regional Conference: ''Conference calls on the Secretary of State to instigate a review of the situation and consider the introduction of a mandatory national P Plate scheme including in it the need for drivers who pass their test to receive additional training from a qualified instructor covering driving on motorways. The Secretary of State is also asked to recognise the need to identify the special circumstances for those with an international driving licence ''.