CALLS have been renewed for greater restrictions on new drivers – as it is claimed road fatalities are “the major public health problem of our age”.

In a new report from the Transport Select Committee, former Lancashire County Council leader Louise Ellman, said more needed to be done to stop the number of deaths linked to young male motorists.

She backed calls from the Lancashire Telegraph’s Wast-ed Lives Campaign that a graduated licence scheme should be introduced.

A new overhaul of the way people learn to drive is currently ongoing, but recom- mendations for increased pre-test training look set to be approved, rather than increased restrictions.

Mrs Ellman, MP for Liverpool Riverside and Transport Select Committee chairman, said: “The number of deaths and injuries on our roads far outweighs the deaths and injuries in other transport modes, or in other work-related accidents.

“We need to start seeing this not only as a collection of individual tragedies, but also as the major public health problem of our age.“ In the new report she said: “We support the Government's efforts to revise the driver training system and to place greater emphasis on attit-udes and behaviours, as well as driving skills. But we are not confident that the changes will be sufficient to arrest the carnage of young drivers on our roads.

“We recommend that the Government takes bolder and more urgent steps to cut the number of collisions invol-ving young drivers, partic-ularly young men. We urge that it reconsiders its response to our recomm-endations in the current novice drivers legislation regarding a graduated licen-sing scheme and, in particular, restrictions on young drivers carrying teenage passengers between the hours of 11pm and 5am.”