Families Of Car Crash Victims Speak Out For Road Safety Week
A Durham woman who lost her dad in a car crash says too many people are still taking risks on the road.
A Durham woman who lost her dad in a car crash says too many people are still taking risks on the road.
Kelly Pattinson's dad Brian was killed in 2012 when a car driving in the opposite direction to him on a 60mph road spun into his path, hitting him head on.
The driver, 30-year-old Michael Bristow, said he lost concentration at the wheel.
Now, as part of Road Safety Week, Kelly is keen to remind people that the actions they take while driving can have an impact on a whole family.
She said: "When you lose someone on the roads, it impacts on your life for years afterwards.
"I would hate to think people went through what we went through.
"It's not easy to talk about, but I think if you can make one person think about how they're driving, take less risks, put their phone down, look at the road, pay attention to the weather."
"It can happen to anybody, it happened to our family."
It's as new figures from road safety charity Brake reveal 300 people were injured or killed on our region's roads last year.
They've launched their new campaign "Drive Less, Live More" this week, to encourage people to find other methods of getting around.
Gary Rae, director of communications and campaigns at Brake, said: “Our Road Safety Week theme of ‘drive less, live more’ makes clear the link between improving road safety, preventing casualties, protecting people and the planet, and our choice of transport.
Our main aim through this November’s Road Safety Week is to help people consider the options open to them, and better understand the benefits of driving less, to road safety, health, personal finances, communities and the planet.