A ROAD safety charity has lambasted the government for its “failure to deliver progress” on the “devastating toll of deaths and injuries” involving young drivers on UK roads.

Brake has condemned the government for not overhauling young driver rules and claims 9,000 injuries – including 866 deaths and serious injuries – could have been avoided over the past two years.

It is urging politicians of all parties to commit to putting young driver safety high on the political agenda early in the new parliament.

In particular the charity is calling for the introduction of graduated driver licensing, a system which would include a minimum learner period and a post-test novice period with restrictions such as a late-night curfew and limits on carrying young passengers.

The Department of Transport however stated there is a "difficult balance" to strike between the safety and freedom of young drivers and that it is focusing on "technological solutions".

Julie Townsend, deputy chief executive of Brake, said: “Tackling young driver crashes is one of the biggest challenges in ending the misery of deaths and serious injuries on our roads.

“Young drivers are greatly overrepresented in serious and fatal crashes, and very often it is young people themselves whose lives are lost or who suffer horrific injuries.

“It’s an epidemic that has to end and we know that graduated driver licensing works in reducing these crashes.

“Evidence from other countries, the weight of expert opinion and the balance of public support are all behind graduated driver licensing.

“This government has continually kicked this issue into the long grass and failed to deliver its long-promised green paper on young driver safety.

“There is no excuse for the next government to repeat this failure to act.”

Graduated driver licensing is used successfully in other countries including New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and many US states, according to Brake.

The charity estimates the approach could prevent 400 deaths and serious injuries a year in the UK.

A Department for Transport spokesman said: "Too many young people die on our roads.

"There is a difficult balance to strike between the safety and the freedom of our young drivers, and we are currently undertaking research into how telematics can help make our roads safer.

"We won’t rule out any programme that safeguards young drivers but at the moment we are focussing our efforts on technological solutions.”