:00:00. > :00:08.For many teenagers, getting behind the wheel is a long
:00:09. > :00:11.But with that freedom sometimes comes danger.
:00:12. > :00:14.You just don't expect it, three young boys to go like that
:00:15. > :00:19.As the number of young people killed or seriously injured
:00:20. > :00:21.on our roads increases, we speak to those
:00:22. > :00:27.The two policemen and my son in law, were stood in the hallway
:00:28. > :00:35.We go on patrol with the police, trying to raise awareness.
:00:36. > :00:37.We was all thinking, oh, well, they are going to move us
:00:38. > :00:41.We speak to a passenger who didn't belt up.
:00:42. > :00:44.If I could speak to my younger self I think I would
:00:45. > :00:49.As the UK Government plans to toughen up laws
:00:50. > :00:51.on dangerous driving - is an obvious solution
:00:52. > :00:55.It is quite staggering that the UK doesn't have
:00:56. > :00:59.This would be the single biggest measure that can be introduced
:01:00. > :01:07.Tonight, families torn apart by tragedy are calling for change.
:01:08. > :01:10.I want the answers and I will keep fighting until I get
:01:11. > :01:37.You wake up and it's just getting through that day, as best you can.
:01:38. > :01:40.He said, all right, Dad, I'll see you in the morning and
:01:41. > :01:53.Things are getting a little bit easier, but we will never be
:01:54. > :01:59.the people we were this time a year and a half ago.
:02:00. > :02:12.I used to say to him you can't sit around the house,
:02:13. > :02:16.you have got to go to a gym or keep yourself busy, keep yourself fit.
:02:17. > :02:23.I always knew what he was getting up to.
:02:24. > :02:27.We used to argue like cat and dog but as Ryan got older and a bit more
:02:28. > :02:33.mature then, yeah, we became very very close.
:02:34. > :02:37.Typical teenager, growing into a typical young man.
:02:38. > :02:44.These three best friends grew up together in Gilfach
:02:45. > :02:55.But one night in October 2015 everything changed.
:02:56. > :02:58.It was 1:40 in the morning, somebody knocked on the door
:02:59. > :03:02.so I put my dressing gown on and my husband went to the door
:03:03. > :03:05.and he looked at the window and he said it was the police.
:03:06. > :03:07.All I could hear was my daughter screaming downstairs
:03:08. > :03:09.because she had opened the door because she was expecting
:03:10. > :03:15.The two policemen and my son in law were stood in there hallway
:03:16. > :03:22.and he told me what had happened and I just said no, no.
:03:23. > :03:30.A big rugby weekend and Wales had just qualified for the Euros.
:03:31. > :03:36.I think, he had a bit of a hangover and things,
:03:37. > :03:38.because he was starting a new job on the Monday.
:03:39. > :03:45.My words to him were, you have had a rough weekend, why
:03:46. > :03:47.don't you stay in because you have work in the morning?
:03:48. > :03:55.I went down the local Chinese down the bottom of the street and picked
:03:56. > :03:58.a Chinese up and I had seen him about 6:40 and we just
:03:59. > :04:02.waved to each other and that was the last I seen him.
:04:03. > :04:09.The boys and two others met up to go for some food.
:04:10. > :04:11.But, at 10:30 that night, the car they were travelling
:04:12. > :04:20.in clipped a kerb and hit a telegraph pole.
:04:21. > :04:26.Another passenger survived and Joe spent the next month
:04:27. > :04:34.The 21-year-old driver, John Graham, was arrested on suspicion of causing
:04:35. > :04:46.To have two boys from the same area pass away on one night was hard
:04:47. > :04:55.but when Joe, the third one, went, it was just absolute devastation.
:04:56. > :05:00.You felt the quietness around the area.
:05:01. > :05:13.You just don't expect it, three young boys to go like that.
:05:14. > :05:23.The loss of young lives is a familiar picture. The number has
:05:24. > :05:35.risen since 2012. Unfortunately, in Wales,
:05:36. > :05:37.a greater proportion of our crashes involve young drivers
:05:38. > :05:40.than anywhere else in the UK. We've got more rural roads,
:05:41. > :05:42.we've got greater distances to places and unfortunately this
:05:43. > :05:45.all serves to put young We are consistently seeing young
:05:46. > :05:50.driver crashes late at night, or occur when there is a number
:05:51. > :05:55.of other people in the car. Research shows young drivers
:05:56. > :05:58.are more likely to be involved in single vehicle accidents
:05:59. > :05:59.as well as accidents Over the last five years,
:06:00. > :06:07.they counted for more than a third of casualties between 6pm
:06:08. > :06:10.and midnight and half the amount Gwent Police officers
:06:11. > :06:20.are about to get on the road. Covert points are going to be
:06:21. > :06:24.monitored by PCSOs and they will report back to us with any
:06:25. > :06:28.information that they have received. There's intelligence
:06:29. > :06:29.to suggest that there's going to be a large gathering,
:06:30. > :06:31.in the area, So we will patrol Caerphilly and see
:06:32. > :06:39.if there is a cruise down there and obviously if there is then
:06:40. > :06:42.we will engage with them and speak Cruising is banned in some parts
:06:43. > :06:58.of the UK but it's not illegal. Cruisers are a group of enthusiasts
:06:59. > :07:01.of all ages, boys and girls, they have got a common
:07:02. > :07:05.interest in vehicles. They spend a lot of money
:07:06. > :07:07.on their vehicles and they Given social media now,
:07:08. > :07:12.it is a lot easier to meet up So they usually
:07:13. > :07:17.advertise on Facebook. The majority of cruisers that attend
:07:18. > :07:20.these events are well behaved. There could be music playing,
:07:21. > :07:24.there could be loud exhausts. But you get a minority then who do
:07:25. > :07:29.handbrake turns and cause problems and that is the only part of it that
:07:30. > :07:32.obviously they are We try to work with them to create
:07:33. > :07:39.as link between them and the police. So when they are having organised
:07:40. > :07:42.cruises, that they trust us Just to make sure that obviously
:07:43. > :07:49.they are safe and other members Hi, Sarge, we are off at Caerphilly
:07:50. > :08:03.mountain snack bar and there is nothing happening
:08:04. > :08:04.at this direction. Normal gatherings
:08:05. > :08:07.for Sunday evening. Yeah that's received I am
:08:08. > :08:12.going there now, we are en route. So we have got a report
:08:13. > :08:14.of 40 vehicles in Asda car park in Caerphilly,
:08:15. > :08:16.revving their engines, causing So we have been tasked to attend
:08:17. > :08:35.there now and deal with that. It was ten months after the deaths
:08:36. > :08:38.of their sons that the families went That year that we had to live
:08:39. > :08:46.with there was always another date, there was always another court
:08:47. > :08:47.appearance, So, for the year we wasn't able
:08:48. > :08:54.to properly grieve, was we? 21-year-old John Graham had
:08:55. > :08:56.been charged with death The families say they
:08:57. > :09:02.hadn't met him before. I had never heard of his
:09:03. > :09:07.name before, Ryan had You just feel so angry and annoyed
:09:08. > :09:12.about what he has done to our family Last June, he pleaded guilty
:09:13. > :09:18.to three counts of death His sentence was ten months
:09:19. > :09:26.in jail reduced to five. He received a three year driving ban
:09:27. > :09:29.and will have to take an extended We have been robbed like no justice
:09:30. > :09:36.at all for any of them. It was just a huge joke
:09:37. > :09:44.and we all shouted to the judge It's possible that had he had said
:09:45. > :09:55.five years we would have all reacted the same, you know,
:09:56. > :09:58.because it is never enough but five What message is going out there,
:09:59. > :10:11.when people know you have taken three young boys' lives
:10:12. > :10:14.and they get ten months in jail? There's nothing out there
:10:15. > :10:20.to stop these youngsters. John Graham told us in a statement
:10:21. > :10:23.that he is sorry the families feel let down by the length
:10:24. > :10:26.of his sentence and if he was in their position
:10:27. > :10:28.he would feel the same. However, he said the issue
:10:29. > :10:31.of the sentence passed is not And there has been no
:10:32. > :10:36.referral to the CPS The families are also angry
:10:37. > :10:44.that the judge decided to convict him on the lesser charge
:10:45. > :10:48.of death by careless driving. We was told that dangerous driving
:10:49. > :10:52.was going to be dismissed and it would continue
:10:53. > :10:56.with careless driving. Which I can't understand when he has
:10:57. > :11:00.admitted to coasting and speeding. Two things which are,
:11:01. > :11:02.if you look through all John Graham says he can understand
:11:03. > :11:09.why the families feel he ought to have been convicted
:11:10. > :11:13.of causing death by dangerous, as opposed to careless,
:11:14. > :11:16.driving but the judge determined that the combination of coasting
:11:17. > :11:19.and his speed did not amount to dangerous driving
:11:20. > :11:25.and that is a matter for the court. He says he fully accepts
:11:26. > :11:27.that his driving was careless The families are now calling for
:11:28. > :11:33.more distinction between careless It has got to be, if you kill
:11:34. > :11:44.somebody in a car it's dangerous. Careless is knocking a glass over,
:11:45. > :11:46.careless is bumping With less than one driver a day
:11:47. > :11:54.in Wales convicted of dangerous driving, road safety campaigners say
:11:55. > :11:57.there needs to be change. There's almost complete overlap
:11:58. > :11:59.in charging standards. If you run through a red light,
:12:00. > :12:03.that's listed as both careless driving and dangerous driving
:12:04. > :12:05.as even using a mobile phone is both There's just too much
:12:06. > :12:13.confusion between the two. Two years after announcing a review,
:12:14. > :12:16.the UK Government has just closed a consultation looking at,
:12:17. > :12:20.among other things, increasing the maximum sentences
:12:21. > :12:22.and creating a new offence of Causing Serious Injury
:12:23. > :12:25.by Careless Driving. But they are not looking to change
:12:26. > :12:28.the legal division between careless It was finally launched in December
:12:29. > :12:35.? 31-32 months on and after 4,000 more people killed on our roads,
:12:36. > :12:39.it was limited to just a few offences and really it's
:12:40. > :12:41.going to have just Another part of the consultation
:12:42. > :12:51.is looking at increasing minimum driving bans for those convicted
:12:52. > :12:54.of causing death. While many welcome it,
:12:55. > :13:00.the families feel it doesn't go far enough, as John Graham was allowed
:13:01. > :13:02.to continue driving for nearly nine He admitted that it was his fault
:13:03. > :13:08.and he took those three lives but yet his license
:13:09. > :13:11.wasn't taken off him. As a careworker, if there
:13:12. > :13:15.was an allegation made against me I would be suspended straightaway
:13:16. > :13:19.and I wouldn't go back to work until it had been
:13:20. > :13:24.unfounded or whatever. It doesn't matter what sort
:13:25. > :13:27.of record you have got. If you've been accused of something
:13:28. > :13:30.which he has been accused of, careless driving
:13:31. > :13:34.and killing three boys. His license should have been taken
:13:35. > :13:37.off him straightaway. The families are determined
:13:38. > :13:38.to fight for change. So, last month, they met their MP
:13:39. > :13:41.at their local rugby club It's all we want from day one
:13:42. > :13:47.is justice for our children. If he had 50 years it
:13:48. > :13:50.would never change the way we are but we could have
:13:51. > :13:52.taken a step forward, that the punishment has happened
:13:53. > :13:57.and try to get on with life There is no way that he should have
:13:58. > :14:06.been able to get back into that car If you look at definitions
:14:07. > :14:10.of careless and dangerous driving After listening to their story
:14:11. > :14:19.he vowed to raise their concerns They understandably feel very
:14:20. > :14:22.very passionate and hurt Not just about losing
:14:23. > :14:30.their children. That's just bad enough but also
:14:31. > :14:33.that the law has been conducted really in
:14:34. > :14:40.some kack-handed way. There is a consultation that has
:14:41. > :14:42.just been concluded. I've made a submission
:14:43. > :14:44.to that consultation. I think that unless that these
:14:45. > :14:46.issues are not addressed we're likely to see an increase
:14:47. > :14:51.in the continuation of bad driving practises and greater serious
:14:52. > :14:54.accidents and fatalities. 284 young people were killed
:14:55. > :14:59.or seriously injured So what is it about this age group
:15:00. > :15:05.that makes them so vulnerable? They've masses of confidence,
:15:06. > :15:08.they want to get in their cars And you add that to the inexperience
:15:09. > :15:15.that goes with the difficulties of driving a car because it's one
:15:16. > :15:18.thing to learn the skills to pass your test, it's quite
:15:19. > :15:21.another thing to being able to apply them consistently and correctly
:15:22. > :15:24.in all of the circumstances 16 to 24-year-olds are at a higher
:15:25. > :15:34.risk of becoming a passenger casualty than older
:15:35. > :15:39.people or children. Between 2010-2014 they accounted
:15:40. > :15:44.for nearly a third of all I think you always think
:15:45. > :15:52.it's not always going It was a bank holiday
:15:53. > :15:56.Monday and we... My boyfriend and a group of friends
:15:57. > :16:02.decided we were going to do something different for the day
:16:03. > :16:05.and we were going to the bowling Josie Pearson, who lives
:16:06. > :16:10.in Usk, was 17 years old when the car she and her friends
:16:11. > :16:13.were travelling in had a head-on The piece of road that we
:16:14. > :16:26.were on was quite bendy and as we were overtaking a line
:16:27. > :16:29.of cars came around the corner and we clipped the first car
:16:30. > :16:32.and then had a head on collision Josie was left paralysed
:16:33. > :16:38.from the chest down. Her boyfriend,
:16:39. > :16:40.the driver, was killed. I was sat in the passenger side
:16:41. > :16:48.of the car in the back. It was a little Peugeot 205
:16:49. > :16:52.so it was only a small car and I wasn't wearing a seat belt -
:16:53. > :16:55.that was my responsibility to wear a seat belt that day
:16:56. > :16:58.and I didn't put it on. Figures show drivers
:16:59. > :17:01.and passengers between the ages of 17 and 34 have the lowest
:17:02. > :17:04.seat belt rates combined Since the crash
:17:05. > :17:10.Josie has become a Paralympian I think at 17 you think
:17:11. > :17:20.you're an adult, If I could speak to my younger
:17:21. > :17:31.self I think I would Schools across Wales are now
:17:32. > :17:44.hearing Josie's story. It is being used as a strong message
:17:45. > :17:50.to warn other young drivers. It was the biggest
:17:51. > :17:52.mistake of my life. Josie Pearson was the
:17:53. > :17:55.same age as you guys. 60% of our traffic collisions
:17:56. > :17:57.that we deal with have 25% of that 60% have
:17:58. > :18:02.proven to be fatal. This is why we need to get involved
:18:03. > :18:05.with the schools and this age group to get them
:18:06. > :18:08.as they start their driving career. Dead bodies, you will see crash
:18:09. > :18:14.sites, you may even see body parts. The students are shown footage from
:18:15. > :18:25.real collisions in graphic detail. It was like this is real this is
:18:26. > :18:45.happening and it's people our age. It's such a hard-hitting
:18:46. > :19:42.presentation. We all have a passion for modifying
:19:43. > :19:43.cars and this is one of the examples of when we get together what we
:19:44. > :20:05.actually do. We don't come here to cause trouble,
:20:06. > :20:14.we come here to meet as friends. You see people driving mad and there
:20:15. > :20:16.is just no point. When people act as if they have a faster car that is
:20:17. > :20:38.when it gets ridiculous. There is always a case of weariness
:20:39. > :20:43.about the police. I think the idea is to get in amongst them and engage
:20:44. > :20:46.with them anything that is what we've done and exchange numbers and
:20:47. > :20:52.hoping the future they will contact us.
:20:53. > :21:15.Always thinking they're going to move us to the the next location.
:21:16. > :21:17.When young lives are lost on our roads,
:21:18. > :21:27.OK, so this is Joe's room, pretty much untouched
:21:28. > :21:32.We just added a few extra little bits and pieces and gifts that
:21:33. > :21:41.So I have made the bed but nothing has been changed,
:21:42. > :21:45.well, since the night of the accident and it
:21:46. > :21:54.will be a long time before anything will be.
:21:55. > :21:56.Ryan's family takes comfort that he lives
:21:57. > :22:03.She is our link, she is all we've got left, you know.
:22:04. > :22:27.For the Jones' home videos keep the memories strong.
:22:28. > :22:31.My father passed away, so Rhys give me a way and walked me down
:22:32. > :22:38.It's mixed emotions now to watch the wedding
:22:39. > :22:55.Everybody is on there and you know he was so funny throughout the day.
:22:56. > :22:58.Now, when I watch it I suppose it's just memories, isn't it?
:22:59. > :23:02.We watch it a lot because it's him you know what I mean and you pray
:23:03. > :23:10.The boys' parents believe tighter restrictions
:23:11. > :23:20.They have passed their test but, they are inexperienced,
:23:21. > :23:23.they don't know how to control a big car.
:23:24. > :23:26.If I am honest they don't know the size of the engine of the car
:23:27. > :23:28.that was involved with this accident,
:23:29. > :23:31.but they should have limitations as well on the number of people
:23:32. > :23:36.With one in five people in the UK being involved in crashes
:23:37. > :23:39.within the first six months of passing their driving test,
:23:40. > :23:42.Dr Sarah Jones is pushing for a system of graduated
:23:43. > :23:49.These place restrictions on new drivers.
:23:50. > :23:52.Graduated Driver Licensing is a system where we enable young
:23:53. > :23:57.people to gain driving experience but where we reduce their exposure
:23:58. > :24:04.So we let them drive unaccompanied, we don't tend to let them drive late
:24:05. > :24:07.at night while there are other people in the car or having
:24:08. > :24:12.GDLs are used by other countries such as New Zealand,
:24:13. > :24:19.Sarah has spent years researching how they work there.
:24:20. > :24:24.She introduced us to Professor Rebecca Ivers in Sydney.
:24:25. > :24:34.I mean certainly young driver crashes and fatalities have been
:24:35. > :24:37.coming down, we are certainly seeing a reduction in the crashes
:24:38. > :24:39.that occur at night, the crashes with multiple
:24:40. > :24:43.Why do you think there is a reluctance to implement it here?
:24:44. > :24:46.People like to think that it's going to mean that we are bubble
:24:47. > :24:49.wrapping young people and not giving them independence.
:24:50. > :24:55.I think really it's also the fact that people,
:24:56. > :24:58.there is still that concept that crashes are accidents.
:24:59. > :25:02.Whereas we know they are predictable events and you can prevent them.
:25:03. > :25:05.But really it is quite staggering that the UK doesn't have
:25:06. > :25:09.In Wales, we don't have the power to introduce them, but councils
:25:10. > :25:12.and other agencies have come together to form Road Safety Wales
:25:13. > :25:18.to reduce the numbers of deaths and injuries.
:25:19. > :25:21.There has always been that need to want to collaborate and work
:25:22. > :25:25.together in Wales with the same aim really, casualty reduction aim
:25:26. > :25:27.really which is to improve road safety on our roads,
:25:28. > :25:30.to improve road safety knowledge and awareness.
:25:31. > :25:32.And one of the schemes that comes under this
:25:33. > :25:37.So there they are reaching from the back trying to set up
:25:38. > :25:39.the bluetooth on your radio is that right?
:25:40. > :25:42.And you say get out of the way, I'm trying to change gear?
:25:43. > :25:44.It has provided young drivers with an opportunity
:25:45. > :25:49.to improve their driving skills and gain more experience.
:25:50. > :25:52.Over the last five years an average of 25,000 young drivers a year
:25:53. > :26:05.But fewer than 2,000 a year took part in Pass Plus Cymru ? that's one
:26:06. > :26:08.It's very difficult, unless everything is thoroughly
:26:09. > :26:11.evaluated to say, yes, what we are doing is working.
:26:12. > :26:14.But the overall trend tells us that it is going seems to be
:26:15. > :26:23.But we don't rest on our laurels and we just remain to be working
:26:24. > :26:27.Road Safety Wales is working closely with the Welsh Government to cut
:26:28. > :26:29.the numbers of young people seriously injured and
:26:30. > :26:36.That target is based on figures from 2004-2008.
:26:37. > :26:39.While they are doing well in meeting it, figures from the last three
:26:40. > :26:52.The last three years we've seen an increase by 15% -
:26:53. > :27:00.We have an ultimate vision of reducing down to zero
:27:01. > :27:03.of the young people who are killed on the roads we believe that
:27:04. > :27:06.a single life lost is a life a life lost too many.
:27:07. > :27:09.Now, in recent years we've made good progress towards our aspiration
:27:10. > :27:12.of reducing by 40% the number of young people killed or seriously
:27:13. > :27:19.The single way, the biggest way we could reduce and drive down
:27:20. > :27:21.the number of young people that are killed or seriously
:27:22. > :27:23.injured on the roads is by introducing a graduated
:27:24. > :27:27.It's something we've consistently argued for,
:27:28. > :27:35.It's also something the Scottish Government have proposed.
:27:36. > :27:38.We'd don't have the powers to introduce it in Wales, but it's
:27:39. > :27:40.something we would dearly like to do.
:27:41. > :27:43.So what are the steps now to try and make that happen
:27:44. > :27:48.I am hopeful that with continued pressure, not just from Wales
:27:49. > :27:51.but also from our partners in Scotland, that we will be able
:27:52. > :28:02.to get a change of mind at the UK Government level.
:28:03. > :28:05.This would be the single biggest measure to save the lives of young
:28:06. > :28:07.drivers. We asked the UK Government
:28:08. > :28:09.for an interview. They refused, but in
:28:10. > :28:11.a statement said that they accepted too many young
:28:12. > :28:14.people die on our roads and they are determined to make sure
:28:15. > :28:17.those who drive dangerously and kill As part of the consultation,
:28:18. > :28:22.they looked at plans to increase the maximum sentence for this
:28:23. > :28:26.from 14 years to life. They added that although we've some
:28:27. > :28:29.of the safest roads in the world they're always looking
:28:30. > :28:34.at ways to make them safer. A fortnight after meeting
:28:35. > :28:39.the families, Wayne David raised their case in Westminster,
:28:40. > :28:41.but their call for changes to the law on careless and dangerous
:28:42. > :28:48.driving was rejected. This is not the end of the journey,
:28:49. > :28:51.it's only the start of it and it's up to myself,
:28:52. > :28:53.other members of parliament and the families who have been
:28:54. > :28:56.profoundly affected to continue I think a momentum is quietly
:28:57. > :29:02.building up for that change and it's our job to make sure that
:29:03. > :29:05.momentum continues and that For the families, the campaign
:29:06. > :29:14.for change goes on. Their hope now is that it will,
:29:15. > :29:21.eventually, protect others. It would give us a little bit
:29:22. > :29:28.of closure, because we know that something has been done
:29:29. > :29:47.since we lost our son. I want my son to be
:29:48. > :29:49.remembered as a person. They were three fun loving kids,
:29:50. > :30:08.a whole world ahead of them. Whatever happens, there has got to
:30:09. > :30:27.be a deterrent to stop people doing it.
:30:28. > :30:29.I believe him to be the purest lyrical poet
:30:30. > :30:35.I'm Dylan Thomas! You make him sound like a monster.
:30:36. > :30:39.I can do this, Jack. I can get him ready for America.