“The duration of the intermediate phase is a matter for consideration, so I shall not suggest a firm figure; some supporters have proposed between two and two and a half years.”

Newly-qualified drivers would be free to drive without supervision, but not with passengers and not at night, he said. This could mean between 9pm and 6am.

They would also be barred from driving after drinking any amount of alcohol, or taking drugs.

Mr Pawsey said: “Currently, there is no restriction on a 17-year-old passing his or her test on one day and on the next driving a gang of mates in a powerful car with a five-litre engine, capable of travelling at 150 mph. There is a problem that needs to be addressed.”

The previous Government considered the case for a graduated licensing scheme in 2008 and ruled the idea out, while Ministers in the current Government have said they see no reason to reconsider the idea.

But Mr Pawsey urged them to think again, saying: “The number of young driver crashes is clearly disproportionately high. The issue touches almost everybody: parents, relatives and friends of the young people involved.

“I firmly believe that an approach that decreases the risks to which young drivers expose themselves will help reduce the number of young driver incidents.

“I urge the Government to look again at the positive effects that a new system of licensing could have in achieving what we all wish to see: the young people of our country being safer on our roads and fewer people having to go through the kind of experience that my son and his friends went through,” he said.