Families whose loved ones have had their lives taken on the
region's roads have expressed their pain and grief in a series of
hard-hitting videos highlighting the devastating impact of
dangerous driving.
Parents, children, brothers, sisters, partners and cousins have
all opened their hearts to speak of the shock and on-going
anguish of road death.
Their poignant stories are part of a joint campaign between
Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) and RoadPeace, the national
charity for road crash victims.
The short films feature relatives holding treasured photos of the
ones they have lost as they talk about the trauma they have
experienced while appealing for people to act responsibly behind
the wheel.
Sonia Gandham, whose brother Arjun had his life taken at 19 years
old, said: "Every day the door opens, you expect it to be the
person that it's never going to be. It feels like I'm living a
life that I shouldn't be living without my brother, and it feels
almost unfair that everybody else is having a normal life and
their day never changed, but my life did.
"I think the first thing that needs to be changed is the mindset
of young drivers. It's the biggest problem that we've got in this
country, and especially in our demographic. In Birmingham, on the
roads, there's just a lack of fear and almost a sense of people
think they're indestructible and there's no consequence for
them."
Lesley Bates, whose husband Tony had his life taken in a car
crash in 2017, said: "The trauma that you experience when you
lose someone in a road death is indescribable, really, the sudden
death of it, the tragedy of it, the trauma of it, and somebody
you love, somebody you so deeply care for, is just gone in an
instant.
“I'd only spoken to him a couple of hours before on the phone,
and suddenly he was gone, he was never coming home.
"The support from RoadPeace has got me through to a point where I
feel that there is a life to live again. There is a path to
follow, a different path, not one that I'd planned."
This campaign highlights the Road Safety Action Plan
launched earlier this month.
The plan, developed by a wide range of partners including West
Midlands Police, TfWM -part of the West Midlands Combined
Authority (WMCA), local councils the Police and Crime
Commissioner and RoadPeace, set out a series of actions to
promote road safety including increasing enforcement of speed
limits and a crackdown on uninsured and dangerous vehicles.
To mark Road Safety Week (November 18-24), , Mayor of the West
Midlands, joined bereaved families at a memorial service for the
World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, hosted by
RoadPeace West Midlands and West Mercia at St Martin in the Bull
Ring, Birmingham.
The Mayor said: “Too many families have had their lives torn
apart by dangerous driving. Yet these bereaved families have
shown extraordinary courage by sharing their stories to help
spare others the same heartbreak.
“Their voices are a powerful reminder that road safety must
remain a top priority for our region.
“No loss of life on our roads is acceptable, which is why I am
committed to Vision Zero - a future without road deaths or
serious injuries. Together, we must prevent these devastating,
avoidable tragedies and the pain they leave behind.”
Lucy Harrison, West Midlands Coordinator for RoadPeace, said:
“Every name remembered at our recent memorial service represented
a family forever changed by a preventable tragedy.
“By sharing their stories, we hope to deliver change. We are
grateful to the Mayor and TfWM for supporting our campaign and
amplifying the message that we must continue striving for safer
roads.”
“I am immensely proud of the members of the RoadPeace West
Midlands Group and their courage in trying to spare other
families the suffering they themselves have to endure.”
