A grieving father has challenged political leaders over road safety in Birmingham following the tragic death of his four-year-old daughter. Babiker Yahia confronted a panel of party representatives at BirminghamLive's hustings event ahead of the upcoming local elections, demanding answers on how children will be kept safe on the city's streets.
Mayar Yahia was killed on April 14, 2024, as she walked home with her mother, siblings, and friends from an Eid celebration in Highgate. She was struck by a reckless driver. The driver, Javonnie Tavener, 23, admitted causing death by careless driving and was sentenced to five years and four months in prison.
Questions for Party Leaders
Babiker asked the panel, which included representatives from Labour, Reform UK, Liberal Democrats, Conservatives, Independents, and the Green Party, what specific or measurable actions they would take in their first year in office to reduce dangerous driving and protect children. He also inquired about priority changes to make roads safer and reduce speed, along with a timeline for implementation.
Speaking to BirminghamLive, Babiker said: "I need to make sure this never happens to any other child or family. We need our streets to be safer. That's why I've been campaigning for safer roads over the last two years."
Call for Tougher Sanctions
Babiker highlighted that the lack of speed cameras in the area meant the driver was charged with careless driving rather than dangerous driving. He urged for tougher sanctions for drivers who cause death through their driving. "They need to look at the rules," he added.
During the hustings on April 23, only one politician—Julien Pritchard of the Green Party—explicitly supported enforcing 20mph zones in every residential street in Birmingham. Babiker noted: "When it was hands up for 20mph—only one hand up. That would indicate 20mph is not happening everywhere in Birmingham." He emphasized the need for enforcement, zebra crossings, signs, and cameras.
Responses from Party Leaders
Green Party - Julien Pritchard
"What we want is our streets safe for our children to play in, safe for your grandma to walk to the shops, where children can walk to school safely. That shouldn't be too much to ask. It's about how we design these streets. So we need more pedestrian crossings, we need to keep our traffic wardens outside schools and commit to doing that."
Liberal Democrats - Roger Harmer
"This is one area where we've seen an absolute failure of Labour-run Birmingham to deliver on what they said they were going to do in their last manifesto. They talked about tripling the amount of average speed cameras and they failed to deliver. We need to have those average speed cameras, we need a network across the city and a network of moving traffic enforcement cameras. We need so many that people realise if they make illegal manoeuvres, they are likely to get caught, get points, get fined."
Conservatives - Robert Alden
"Five of the 15 postcodes for the highest number of illegal and insured drivers in the country are in Birmingham. That is something that must be clamped down on to get those dangerous drivers off the road. We can do that by having more ANPR camera use and bring in noise ANPR cameras to tackle illegally converted cars. We'd have a local ward highways budget to address local issues."
Independent - Nosheen Khalid
"Road safety is not an abstract concept—it's life and death. This council and previous councils have been reactive instead of proactive. Instead of working with residents to identify speeding hotspots and dangerous roads, they act reactively when things take place. That can't be the way forward. There needs to be accountability and preventive measures. Safety needs to be put before anything else."
Labour - John Cotton
"We declared a road safety emergency and have been working with communities to put in place traffic neighbourhoods to better manage traffic flow. We've reduced speed limits in the city. It's important we take steps to lead by example. It's also about enforcement, working with the police and other agencies to take on people causing these problems and change attitudes to driving."
Reform UK - Jex Parkin
"It sounds like this story is yet another symptom of a lawless Britain. It seems like criminals can get away with things without severe repercussions. People feel like they can get away with it, and that's exactly why we need tougher enforcement. We are certain to minimise this under Reform by being incredibly tough on crime."
Independent Candidate Alliance - Shakeel Afsar
"This is a prevalent problem, and you can see it just by standing on the side of the road for five minutes. We'd have tougher enforcement—anyone who is seen breaking the law should be penalised. We believe there should be tougher, harsher rules for people who take a life by dangerous driving."
