FOUR in 10 child deaths from non-medical causes are the result of road crashes in Wales, a new study has shown.

The Child Death Review Annual Report showed 40 per cent of all deaths among one to 17 year olds from non-medical causes were related to transport accidents and the figure rose to 43 per cent for 12 to 17 year olds.

Published by Public Health Wales, the report brought home how dangerous driving, being driven and negotiating the roads can be for young people and how devastating road deaths can be for their families and friends.

Despite not being included in the statistic, the heartache left by fatal accidents was felt throughout Newport in January when popular teen Xana Doyle was killed in a crash in Usk Way.

The 19-year-old, who had completed a hairdressing course and studied for beauty qualifications, was a passenger in a car driven by 23-year-old Sakhawat Ali.

Ali was doing 60mph in a 30mph zone and was high on drink and drugs, court proceedings revealed.

And his 21-year-old cousin, Shabaz Ali, had pulled up the car’s handbrake three times on their journey around the city, Cardiff Crown Court heard.

The trio had been at a party in Bettws.

Sakhawat Ali had set out to drive the Newport teenager home but his ability had been badly impaired after taking four lines of cocaine and drinking whiskey, while his cousin also took drink and drugs, the court heard.

The pair were jailed for a total of 15 years and six months this month, but this failed to give complete closure to Xana’s mum Emma O’Donoghue.

She told the Argus: “I will never see Xana get married, have children, and be successful in her chosen field of work.

“There will always be an empty place at our table, a hole in our hearts that cannot be filled, and there won’t be one day that we don’t mourn her.

“Each family celebration will be bitter sweet, knowing that she is not there to share the joy and be the life and soul of the party that she was.

“I have never felt heartache like this and time is not healing it, it is just adding to the loss and emptiness.

“All I have left of her is some boxes of her possessions, a few photographs and my treasured memories, which I am so scared will fade the older I get.

“I, my children, my family and Xana’s friends will never ever forget her.

“She is a truly unforgettable girl with an infectious personality and a beautiful smile. This whole situation is so cruel and one we will never recover from.”

Dr Rosalind Reilly, a consultant in public health and health intelligence, said following the report’s publication that imposing restrictions on young drivers could help to reduce the number of road deaths.

This view was echoed by the UK road safety charity Brake and Busk UK, an organisation based in Newport which promotes safe child road transport.

Brake said a number of factors explained the high incidence of accidents among young drivers, for instance over confidence, propensity for risk-taking and sheer lack of experience.

For this reason, the charity is championing the introduction of a Graduated Driver Licensing – GDL – providing a minimum-length supervised learning period allowing new drivers to build up their skills.

Meanwhile, Busk is backing the introduction of regulations similar to those already in place in Northern Ireland, which put young drivers on probation, forces them to display R plates and restrict their speed to 45mph.

Brake explained that GDL also limited their exposure to some of the highest risk situations, such as night-time driving.

Already in place in several English-speaking countries, GDL is known to have slashed accidents on the roads.

A survey by the RAC Foundation carried out last year found that two thirds – 68 per cent – of UK adults, and 41 per cent of young drivers, supported the introduction of GDL.

Meanwhile, a Brake poll conducted two years ago found widespread support for various common elements of GDL.

The survey found that 84 per cent of drivers were in favour of a minimum learning period, 70 per cent supported a zero tolerance alcohol limit for novice drivers, and 90 per cent backed mandatory lessons on motorways and in difficult conditions for all learners.

Brake said GDL could also help reduce accidents involving passengers.

A spokesman stressed that young drivers were more likely to crash if they had their peers in the car with them, due to peer pressure and drivers “showing off” to their passengers, as well as passengers causing distraction.

In Britain, it is estimated that GDL could prevent more than 400 deaths and serious injuries every year, and save the economy £200m annually through crash prevention, according to an RAC study conducted last year.

Following the introduction of GDL in New Zealand, car crash injuries fell by 23 per cent for 15-19 year olds and 12 per cent for 20-24 year olds, a 2001 survey showed.

Meanwhile, 16-year-old drivers in the US who are subject to GDL have 37 per cent fewer crashes per year, according to a study conducted last year.

Brake spokesman Dave Nichols said: “As a charity that supports road crash victims and bereaved families, we know only too well the heartache and suffering caused by needless crashes involving young drivers on Wales’ roads.

“Young drivers are at high risk due to many reasons, including over confidence, lack of experience, and a tendency to take risks.

“Drivers aged 17-19 only make up 1.5 per cent of UK licence holders, but are involved in 12 per cent of fatal and serious crashes.

“Brake has long campaigned for GDL, a life-saving policy that tackles young driver crashes by providing a minimum-length supervised learning period and allowing new drivers to build up their skills and experience gradually, while limiting exposure to some of the highest risk situations, such as night-time driving.

“GDL is already in place in many countries worldwide, where it is proven to reduce young driver casualties.”

Pat Harris, the director of Busk UK, said: “Busk would agree that by introducing some restrictions on young drivers would be a sensible way to bring down the number of injuries and fatalities on our roads.

“One restriction Busk would certainly support is the way in which young drivers in Northern Ireland are required to comply with when they have just passed their test.

“For the first 12 months, new drivers must display an ‘R’ plate to let other drivers know they are inexperienced and to try and make some allowances for any mistakes they might make, but importantly, new drivers are also limited to a speed of 45 mph.

“If a new driver is caught exceeding the limit, their probationary period is set back to 12 months, even if they only have one month left.

“This has worked well for more than 30 years and is a system that is likely to not cost much funding to implement.”