Mother whose son, 17, was killed in horror car crash in Wales in which four teenagers drowned, calls for tougher rules on younger drivers as AA brands it a “national problem”

The mother of a teenager killed in a horror crash in Wales has called for tougher rules on young drivers as the AA branded it a ‘national crisis’.

Crystal Owen’s son Harvey, from Shrewsbury, was just 17 when he was found with friends Jevon Hirst, 16, Wilf Fitchett, 17, and Hugo Morris, 18, in their crashed silver Ford Fiesta near Snowdonia National Park last November .

The boys’ silver hatchback is believed to have veered off the A4085 in wet and windy conditions at Garreg before overturning.

They were reported missing to the police and their bodies were found the next day inside the vehicle, which was partially submerged in water.

Now Mrs Owen has backed the AA’s campaign for a “graduated learning” scheme which would give younger drivers the chance to build experience on country roads and in all weather conditions before taking their test.

This would also prevent young drivers from transporting passengers for up to six months after passing their test.

Crystal Owen (pictured) is speaking on BBC Breakfast this morning to call for tougher rules on young drivers

Flowers and tributes left at the village war memorial for the dead students

Speaking to BBC Breakfast this morning, she said: ‘People say it’s restrictive. How restrictive can you get?

‘My 17-year-old son’s life has been limited forever. His physical self, all that is left of him now is an urn full of ashes. How many more lives can be taken before the government does something?’

She went on to say that people assume with young drivers that they are ‘doing something wrong, but sometimes they may be within the speed limit but they are not used to the conditions of the roads.

“It’s just protecting them at the most crucial stage when they’re most likely to go down,” she added.

Mrs Owen was joined by the president of the AA, Edmund King, who called it a ‘national crisis’ which has not received the attention of the most senior officials.’

He said: ‘All the academic evidence and evidence from other countries shows that it would reduce crashes by between 20 and 40 per cent.

“This is vital, we cannot continue to watch the news every Monday morning, more teenagers are needlessly killed.”

Teenage friends (clockwise from top left) Harvey Owen, Wilf Fitchett, Hugo Morris and Jevon Hirst were last seen getting into a silver Ford Fiesta on Sunday morning

Police are pictured on the A4085 where the silver Fiesta belonging to the teenagers was found

The disappearance of the four boys from Shropshire sparked a huge search and an outpouring of grief when they were found; a fundraiser set up to support their families raised over £32,655, smashing a modest target of £4,000.

They were reported missing on Monday 20 November after they did not return home from the trip. They may have lain undetected for up to two days after leaving Harlech around 11am on 19th November, a Sunday, en route to Snowdonia.

The boys – who were all pupils at Shrewsbury College – left their home on Saturday 18 November and stayed overnight with Jevon’s grandfather in the seaside town of Harlech, 80 miles away, that evening.

They left for Snowdonia the following morning, intending to spend Sunday evening camping. Their last contact with family is said to have been around the town of Porthmadog, five miles to the north, at midday.

Mrs Owen published this photo of her son Harvey in a Facebook post along with a link to her petition calling for tougher rules on young drivers

A police officer investigates the scene in North Wales. The force closed the road

They were traveling on the ‘narrow and windy’ A4085 in what local residents described as ‘horrendous’ weather conditions with heavy rain and the car appears to have careened off the road near a bend in an area with almost no mobile phone signal.

Described as ‘sensitive and intelligent boys’, the four teenagers were inexperienced campers and had only a tent and sleeping bags.

“The plan appears to have been for them to camp in Snowdonia on Sunday night, but it appears they never made it to a campsite,” said a source close to the investigation.

A major search operation was launched on Monday involving a coastguard helicopter and three teams from the Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Team, which were sent to search car parks at the foot of Snowdon after the Fiesta in case the boys had decided to go hiking.