Latest news with #Sarah-JaneMee
Sky News
08-04-2025
- Sky News
Graduated driving licences for young people 'could have saved my daughter', says bereaved mother
A mother whose daughter was killed in a car crash has said tougher laws for new drivers could have saved the teenager's life. Speaking on The UK Tonight With Sarah-Jane Mee, Sharon Huddleston called on the government to bring in new laws to "help save young lives [and] give teenagers a future". Caitlin Huddleston, 18, was a passenger in a vehicle which collided with a van in July 2017. The crash killed both Caitlin and the driver, her friend Skye Mitchell, also 18. A backseat passenger and the van driver were left with severe injuries. Skye had passed her test just four months before the crash, which occurred after she "entered a bend slightly too fast for her experience and lost control", Ms Huddleston said. The car then spun on to the opposite carriageway and in front of a van travelling in the opposite direction. Ms Huddleston later "found out about a law called a graduated driving licence which could have saved my daughter's life". In 2023, around a fifth of people killed or seriously injured in Great Britain in car collisions involved a young driver. Graduated Driving Licences (GDLs) have been introduced in a number of other countries including Canada, where it takes at least 20 months for a new driver to gain a full driving licence by earning in stages. Young drivers working towards their full licence face extra rules such as not being allowed on the roads between midnight and 5am, and a limit on the number of under 19-year-old passengers. 2:18 As reported by Sky News' Dan Whitehead, evidence shows deaths among 16 to 19-year-old drivers in Canada have fallen by 83%. But the government has previously stated it has no plans to introduce GDLs, saying they could "unfairly" penalise young drivers. "Our children have been penalised from living their lives," Ms Huddleston said in response. "We want this implemented to help save young lives, to give teenagers a future. Our children's futures were taken from them. "These children who are killed on the roads, they're being penalised from living their lives, we shouldn't have to bury our children," she continued. Ms Huddleston was joined on The UK Tonight by Dr Ian Greenwood, whose daughter Alice died at the age of 12 after a speeding, young driver crashed into a car she was travelling in with her mother and sister. Dr Greenwood said: "They were speeding, they were distracted, it's a rural road. "It's almost like doing a bingo for the risk factors of a graduated driving licence - other than alcohol, they were all present in that crash." The driver of the car and his passenger also died, he said. 1:57 A Department for Transport spokesperson told Sky News: "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 we are exploring options to tackle the root causes of this without unfairly penalising young drivers."
Sky News
07-02-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Sky News nominated for nine RTS television journalism awards
Sky News has received nine nominations in the RTS TV journalism awards, including for news channel of the year. Our coverage from the scene of the Southport stabbings - fronted by Sarah-Jane Mee - is also named in the breaking news award, alongside BBC coverage of the Trump assassination bid and Reuters' work on the Hezbollah pager explosions. Sky's nominations span eight categories - with a number of correspondents and presenters in the running for awards. 1:15 Beth Rigby and Sam Coates, our political editor and deputy political editor, make up two of the three nominees in their category. Their work over the last year included extensive coverage of July's election - with highlights including Rigby's questioning of Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer in Grimsby. The World With Yalda Hakim also goes up against Channel 4 News and ITV News for network daily news programme of the year. The show's leading interviews have included several exclusives with the Qatari prime minister - a key mediator in Gaza ceasefire talks - in which he warned January's deal was "the last chance for peace". 6:15 Sky News' coverage of the Sudan war, by Africa correspondent Yousra Elbagir and her team, has also been recognised in the international news category alongside work by CNN and ITV on Gaza. Chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay - who won an international Emmy in September for coverage of the Myanmar war - is nominated for network TV journalist of the year. 4:00 Ramsay's work has included an exclusive with President Zelenskyy in which he suggested a ceasefire could be agreed if Ukrainian territory went "under the NATO umbrella" and boarding "The Beast" train carrying migrants towards America. Sophy Ridge, Sky News' lead political presenter who presents a weeknight show from 7-8pm, and data and forensics correspondent Tom Cheshire are also nominated for best network presenter and specialist journalist respectively. 2:39 The RTS journalism awards, hosted by ITV's Tom Bradby, take place on 5 March at London's Park Lane Hilton. 10:45 Adrian Wells, chair of the RTS awards, said: "In a globally tumultuous year, our nominees exemplify the vital work that journalists carry out in the news media industry, especially within a time where accuracy, transparency and compassion in reporting is so important. "We look forward to recognising the high calibre of expertise and celebrating the achievements of the journalists at our awards ceremony next month."
