A mother whose 18-year-old daughter was killed in a collision in Cumbria is continuing to campaign to prevent crashes involving young people.
Caitlin Huddleston was killed instantly when the car she was travelling in collided with an oncoming van on the A595 in Bootle in 2017.
Her friend, who was driving the car, also died in the crash. She had passed her driving test just four months earlier.
Another friend who was travelling in the back of the car, and the van driver, were both seriously injured in the collision. Neither driver was exceeding the speed limit, but Caitlin’s friend was travelling on an unfamiliar rural road in wet weather.
Caitlin’s mum Sharron, of Millom, has made it her mission to help others to avoid the devastation that her family has faced. Her warning to other parents coincides with Road Safety Week, organised by Brake, the road safety charity, which kicks off across the UK today
Sharron, who has two other children, said: “Parents need to know the risks. Road collisions are the leading cause of death for young people worldwide. We need as many people as possible to know how at risk young, novice drivers are when they get behind the wheel, particularly when carrying passengers of a similar age.
“You never think it will happen to you, but we are proof that it does. If only I had known the risks, I would not have let Caitlin get in the car that day. Had we been made aware just how many young people lose their lives every year in road crashes, we could have made an informed decision about whether to allow Caitlin to travel in a friend’s car.
“She only left the house 15 minutes before the crash occurred. I had just fastened the buttons on the back of her blouse for her and, thankfully, she turned around just before leaving home and asked me: “Do I look alright, mam?” They were her last words to me.”
Caitlin and her friends had been heading out to an Italian restaurant in Gosforth when the collision happened. The car spun onto the opposite side of the road directly in front of the van travelling in the other direction.
Sharron added: “The girls weren’t doing anything wrong when the crash happened. They were just normal young people going out for a meal. Caitlin had just finished a business course at Kendal College and she worked at a cafe. Her nickname was Auds, after Audrey Hepburn, as she always wore her dark hair in a bun for work.”
Since Caitlin’s death, Mrs Huddleston has been doing all she can she can to prevent future road crashes. She is calling for a phased licence system to be introduced in the UK, restricting young, newly-qualified drivers from carrying passengers until they have been driving for six months or more.
Her plea was supported by the assistant coroner for Cumbria, Robert Chapman, who agreed that carrying similar aged passengers should be restricted until young drivers have gained a certain level of experience. He wrote a report to the Government requesting this system.
In 2020, Sharron submitted written evidence to the Transport Select Committee inquiry into young and novice drivers, describing roads deaths as ‘the forgotten epidemic.’
She wrote: “Deaths from road crashes don’t receive the coverage in the same way as illness and disease often do. For people working in road safety this is baffling.”
Her efforts have been closely supported by AA president, Edmund King, who also featured Caitlin’s story in the AA’s recent rural roads campaign, which highlighted that the highest percentage of crashes involving young drivers occur on rural roads.
Sharron has also shared her story with Brake, the road safety charity, has supported police road danger campaigns and has spoken at young driver events.
