Highland road safety campaigner praises bereaved couple for support
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The veteran road safety campaigner, Highland MSP David Stewart, has thanked bereaved parents for their support in his long fight to create safer travelling conditions.
A motion has been lodged in the Scottish Parliament this week – Road Safety Week – commending a bereaved couple for their “relentless” backing following the tragic loss of their teenage son, who was killed in a car crash almost a decade ago.
Mr Stewart praised Diane and Graham Matheson for their “inspirational" support during his long battle to persuade the UK Government to bring in a graduated driving licence.
The scheme, which puts a set of restrictions on new drivers who have recently passed their test, has proven to cut the road death toll in other countries.
The Matheson from Inverness have been strong campaigners for the initiative.
Their eldest son, Callum, was killed on Island Bank Road in Inverness on March 28, 2010, after the car he was travelling in hit a wall.
It was being driven by his friend, 17-year-old Ahlee Jackson, who was also killed.
Mr Stewart said: “The Mathesons came to me soon after Callum died asking me to do something, anything, to stop the carnage on Highland and Moray roads.
"I launched a campaign for a graduated licence scheme after studying its life-saving impact in other countries where it was in operation. This scheme saves lives by restricting new drivers’ exposure to the conditions in which they are statistically most likely to crash, which is at night or while driving with their friends in the car. There are of course common-sense exemptions that have to be put in place. Young people couldn’t possibly be banned from driving to work after dark, for example. But the important thing is that this reduces the road crash death toll and makes our roads safer for our young ones.”
He added: “I lodged the motion this week because I wanted to thank Diane and Graham for their inspirational support for this campaign, which will go on.”
Mrs Matheson said: “Graham and I both feel a graduated license is the way forward.
“Banning driving at night is going to be a difficult one because it gets dark so early in the winter here, so it would definitely need to have some leeway built-in for young drivers but if this kind of scheme can work in countries like Finland it is definitely worth trying here. We will always support David with this.”
She added: “Another Xmas beckons without our darling son. An empty space at the dinner table. If we can prevent another family enduring this agony because a graduated driving license had been introduced, then this could be Callum’s legacy.”
