Crystal Owen, whose teenage son Harvey died in a car crash in Gwynedd in 2023, is urging changes to laws for young drivers. She appeared on BBC Breakfast on Thursday, October 1, to discuss Northern Ireland's newly introduced Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) system.
Four teenage boys from Shrewsbury—Hugo Morris, Harvey Owen, Wilf Fitchett, and Jevon Hirst—drowned when the car they were travelling in left a rural road and flipped onto its roof in a flooded ditch. The group had been visiting Eryri National Park and set off to spend the night camping.
Details of the crash
Eighteen-year-old Hugo had driven into a bend on the road too fast, causing the vehicle to come off the road. All the other passengers in the car were under the age of 18 and were not able to drive.
Speaking about her son, Crystal explained that Harvey had begun college weeks before his death and had made a new friend, whom she did not know, who was taking them all to Wales in his car as he was the only one who could drive.
Campaign for change
She explained she thought Harvey was being driven by parents to stay at a cottage in Wales, adding: "He'd recently passed his test, so we went from thinking he was safe at the granddads' cottage, which is where he stopped the first night, to then absolute despair of knowing he set off for a camping trip in the middle of winter. A day later, the absolute worst news any parent could ever begin to imagine."
Northern Ireland's GDL system applies to all new drivers, particularly those aged 17 to 23. It includes rules such as learners having at least six months of driving experience before taking a practical test and qualified drivers under 24 having restrictions on carrying young passengers at night.
Evidence and next steps
Crystal said: "It's not a case of whether I think this will work; we know it works. It's been in place in many other countries across the world for decades now; the evidence is there. There is no argument against this law; we know it works."
She called Northern Ireland's changes a 'positive step', adding: "With my campaign, I believe the minimum learning period is crucial. At the moment, a young person could have three or four lessons, and that's happened to parents within our group, who have lost their lives, and that is utter madness that a young person can pass a test after a matter of a few hours of learning."
Crystal is calling for drivers between 17 and 19 not to be able to carry any passengers aged 25 and under for the first six months unless they are accompanied by an older adult.
