He was a friend of consumer advocate Ralph Nader. Both Nader and Young, as a legislator, fought for highway safety and mandatory use of seat belts. He was also an early advocate of airbags. In 1975, the Ontario government enacted the mandatory seatbelt reforms that he was advocating for years. As a legislator, Young became one of the first MPPs to open a community office to help his riding constituents. He was also responsible for writing the daily prayer used in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario throughout the later half of the 20th century.