‘As a mother how do you continue to live when your child doesn’t?’

A mum is campaigning for restrictions to be imposed on young drivers after her teenage son died in a high-speed crash. Jake Hankins had accepted a lift back to the NTU Brackenhurst Campus, Southwell, where he was studying, from a near stranger — who lost control of his high-powered car and smashed into an oncoming vehicle in Gonalston. Both Jake and the driver died at the scene .

His mum Gillian Dickinson has since joined the campaign group Forget Me Not Families Uniting which is calling for the government to introduce restrictions on newly-qualified young drivers. Some of the bereaved parents delivered their petition to Downing Street last week. Gillian, from Ketton, Rutland, said: “ Life since losing Jake is difficult to put into words .



We are absolutely shattered into pieces, horrified, heartbroken, and the physical pain is sometimes unbearable. “As a mother how do you continue to live when your child doesn’t? To say that we will never be the same is an understatement. The tragic and sudden way we lost Jake affects everything we do but you get through the days as best as you can.

” Seventeen-year-old Jake was studying farming at Nottingham Trent University’s Brackenhurst Campus, and had attended a college event on the night he died in September 2022. He had accepted a lift home from 19-year-old Harvey Holehouse. It should have been a 10-minute journey but Harvey, from Woodborough, lost control of his Mercedes on Southwell Road in Gonalston and hit another car, causing both vehicles to leave the carriageway.

Harvey also died in the crash and two other people were seriously injured. Investigators later determined he had been travelling at 120mph in a 60mph zone. Gillian said: “From the beginning I said that the circumstances around Jake’s accident should never have be legal.

How can a 19-year-old drive a 2.5 AMG Mercedes, let alone carry passengers? “Jake didn’t drive but we always gave him strict instructions not to get in a car with anyone we didn’t know. Most of the time he travelled with one of his friends who we knew and trusted but Jake would always have emergency money in case he needed a taxi.

“He didn’t really know the driver but Jake was quite timid and I know he wouldn’t have said anything about how fast he was driving. “We as a nation are not safeguarding our young people but I believe there are many factors which can improve their safety on the roads.” The petition submitted to parliament last week is asking for the government to introduce the following laws: ● A minimum six-month learning period for learner drivers before they are eligible to take a practical test.

● For the first six months after passing their test, or until they turn 20, drivers should not carry passengers aged 25 or under unless accompanied by an older adult. ● Six penalty points, an immediate licence suspension and the requirement to retake the practical test if these rules are broken. ● All cars should be fitted with a tool to smash open a window to allow people to escape.

Suggested exemptions include young parents driving their own children, those who qualify for the enhanced rate of the mobility component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and members of the armed forces or other drivers in the course of their work duties. The petition attracted more than 104,400 signatures. It was submitted following an announcement in January by the future of roads minister Lilian Greenwood.

She said the government was not considering the introduction of graduated licences but would explore options to tackle the root causes of road accidents without unfairly penalising young drivers. Gillian has vowed to continue her fight and will attend a music festival this summer to spread the message further. Jake’s dad and brother, Steve and Lewis Hankins, are also backing the campaign.

Gillian added: “Jake’s accident has affected so many people. The loss is immeasurable and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.” Do you support the petition? Let us know in the comments below.

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