‘My son lost his life in a car driven by a new driver – we need tougher rules’

A mum whose 17-year-old son died in a car crash after telling a ‘white lie’ about a camping trip has called for tough new rules for young drivers.

Crystal Owen’s son Harvey was among four students from Shrewsbury who lost their lives after the car they were in crashed off the road before overturning into a fast-flowing river in North Wales in November 2023.

She had no idea her son was going camping and did not know the ‘relatively new’ 18-year-old driver, who passed his test just over six months before the accident.

Crystal is now campaigning for the government to introduce graduated driving licences, which would ban young drivers from carrying their peers unless an adult is with them.

Harvey texted her just before Hugo Morris, 18, drove her son, Wilf Fitchett, 17, and Jevon Hirst, 16 on a camping trip.

Crystal told Metro: ‘He knew I wouldn’t let him go camping. So he just did a typical teenage thing and told a white lie.

‘We didn’t know that Harvey even knew somebody who had passed their test. Harvey had only just recently turned 17.

‘We didn’t think that this was on our radar of things to be worrying about.’

Police launched a major two-day search for the boys – but their crashed Ford Fiesta couldn’t be seen from the road.

Crystal said she went searching for her son against the wishes of police.

She added: ‘I went from just thinking he was safely tucked up at his friend’s house to then really panicking.

‘We were driving around Snowdonia following false leads that gave us hope, before we were told to make our way to the police station.

‘Even to the last minute, we just thought they found the car but the boys must have wandered off. Then every parent’s worst nightmare happened.’

All four A-level students were found dead in the car.

Forensic collision investigator Ian Thompson told an inquest last year that driver Hugo had driven the sharp bend too fast before crashing off the road.

All the boys were wearing seatbelts but the car’s two rear tyres were underinflated.

The senior coroner Kate Robertson said she would write to the Department for Transport and the DVLA to raise concerns that deaths could continue to occur where ‘young, newly qualified drivers are permitted to carry passengers’.

Government data shows almost 5,000 people are seriously injured or killed in a road traffic collision involving a young driver aged 25 and under each year in the UK.

Just six weeks after Harvey’s death, Crystal began campaigning for the government to introduce graduated licences for newly qualified 17-19 year olds.

This would see a ban on fast-track intensive driving courses and require teenage drivers not to carry passengers aged 25 or under unless accompanied by an older adult for the first six months after passing.

The scheme is already in place in different forms in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and parts of the US.

Studies show the restrictions in Canada reduced deaths among 16 to 19-year-old drivers by 83%.

Crystal believes a graduated driver’s licence could have saved her son’s life.

She said: ‘Even though the driver had passed the six month period, if this law had been in place it would have reinforced to us as parents to have these conversations and encourage young people to understand the risk.’

According to Road Safety Charity Brake, newly-qualified drivers with a car full of similarly aged passengers are four times more likely to be in a fatal crash.

The government has announced plans for safety restrictions on older drivers as part of a road safety strategy.

These include potentially banning drivers over 70 if they fail compulsory eye tests.

Crystal says the plans don’t go far enough, and criticised Labour’s rejection of graduated driver’s licences.

She said: ‘I think the GPs should have to notify the DVLA by law when somebody is unfit to drive.

‘I’m also disappointed they are just focusing on the older drivers. They seem to just be ignoring the risks to young drivers.’

Crystal’s petition calling for the new rules has reached over 108,000 signatures.

Harvey’s death has left his mum terrified of being on the road and devastated his sisters Yasmin, 21, Sophia, six, and Olivia, four.

She added: ‘The devastating part is that Harvey absolutely idolised his little sisters.

‘He was just always in love with them, honestly. He was so close to his older sister. They were more like best mates.

‘They’ve not only lost a brother but they’ve lost the mum that they should have had, because I’ll never ever be who I was before this.

‘They’ll have dreams that Harvey’s here and they’ll wake up and they’ll be sobbing their hearts out.’

Crystal also runs a charity called Shine On with Harvey Owen that helps disadvantaged young people gain access to creative arts.

‘I don’t want Harvey to just be associated with road death,’ she explained.

‘I want to remember him for who he was, because Harvey was just humble and grateful for everything he had.’

A DfT spokesperson said: ‘Every death on our roads is a tragedy and our thoughts remain with the families of everyone who has lost a loved one in this way.

‘Whilst we are not considering Graduated Driving Licences, we absolutely recognise that young people are disproportionately victims of tragic incidents on our roads and continue to tackle this through our THINK! campaign.

‘We are considering other measures to address this problem and protect young drivers, as part of our upcoming strategy for road safety – the first in over a decade.’

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