Geraint Flynn was hit by a car and died in February 2005

On BBC Wales' Week In Week Out, Road Safety Minister Stephen Ladyman admits the government has failed to change the attitude of many young drivers.

But he said judges could help by handing out tougher sentences.

On average each week one 17-25-year-old is killed in a road crash, and another seven are seriously injured.

Mr Ladyman told BBC Wales: "I do believe that they [judges] are too lenient at times.

"But I do believe, especially with the new powers in the road safety bill, that they have the range of severe sentences available to them that they can use if they think its appropriate - and they should use them more often."

Police have also admitted that they are dealing with a growing problem with drivers in the 17 to 25-year-old age group.

The case of Kieran Knight highlights the particular problem.

Witnesses said Knight was impatient to pull out of the junction

On Monday, the 20-year-old was given four years' detention for killing Geraint Flynn, 19, in Swansea last year.

The teenager was fatally injured as he crossed the road in front of Knight's car in Swansea.

Knight was waiting to pull out of a junction on the evening of the England-Wales rugby international last February.

The streets were busy with revellers following the match and Knight seemed impatient to pull out, witnesses at the trial said.

A judge described his driving as "reckless" and "extremely dangerous". He hit Mr Flynn before driving over his head and body.

Geraint Flynn's parents Geoff and Sally call for more traffic controls

Geraint's mother Sally Flynn said: "Our 19-year-old son was making the transition from a boy to man, he was so beautiful, has been killed by a dangerous driver who is going to spend not long enough in prison."

She is now calling for so-called "boy racers" to be banned from the centre of Swansea and for the Kingsway area to be closed to traffic on weekend evenings.

Sgt Nigel Whitehouse of South Wales Police described the scene in Swansea city centre on weekend evenings.

He said: "A lot of youngsters are out until the early hours cruising up and down or parked up everywhere, it's an absolute nuisance.

'Joke' sentence

"At kicking-out time there are thousands of people, and that means conflict between vehicles and pedestrians."

Week In Week Out also examines another case of young victims of the road.

The mother of Rachel Jones, left paralysed at 13 by a 26-year-old drunk-driver in Aberdare, described his two-year jail sentence "a joke".

Two years ago Rachel, then 13, was crossing a bypass in Aberdare when she was hit by a car travelling at 98 mph.

Driver Carl Smith, 26, who had never passed a driving test, was drunk and had taken five different drugs.

Sheri Ozdemir with Rachel (l) who will be in a wheelchair for life

He will soon be released from prison after serving two years of his sentence.

Rachel is paralysed and will remain in a wheelchair for the rest of her life, and her mother, Sheri Ozdemir, said the law did not go far enough to punish dangerous and careless drivers.

She said: "He 'killed' the Rachel we had for 13 years and yet he can get away with doing just two years?

"He's been banned from driving for seven years but never had a licence anyway. It's a joke."

A new Road Safety Bill is expected to become law by autumn. It will include a new offence of death by careless driving which will carry a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison.

Road Safety Minister Stephen Ladyman said he believed in some cases courts were being too lenient.

He said: "We need to encourage the courts to use the full range of powers."