Permanent memorial to road traffic victims unveiled in Warwickshire

Funded by the Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership, it will offer a “peaceful place” to remember family or friends affected by a road traffic collision.

Situated in the Hartshill Hayes Country Park’s commemorative wood, the memorial has been carefully crafted with a decorative emblem featuring a tree of life, inscribed with: ‘Remembering lives lost and injured on our roads in Warwickshire’.

It was officially unveiled on Friday (July 8) with a special ceremony attended by representatives of the county’s emergency services, road safety campaigners and local dignitaries.

The concept was first revealed last November at a service at St Mary’s Church, Warwick, to commemorate the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. Since then, the partnership has been working closely with specialist designers, metal workers and stonemasons to bring the concept to reality.

Police and crime commissioner and chair of Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership, Philip Seccombe, said: “The idea for this memorial is to offer the families, friends and colleagues of those affected by a road collision a safe and peaceful place where they can come together to remember the person they have lost or suffered life-changing injuries. As a neutral venue away from the roadside, it a place for reflection and not judgement, helping to reinforce the message to all those affected by a collision that they are not alone.

“In Warwickshire we provide specialist support to the families of those killed or seriously injured in road collisions, through the police family liaison officers and also through the significant work of the Independent Road Traffic Victim Advocate (IRVA).

“Hosted by the road safety charity Brake and funded by my office, the IRVA works closely with victims’ families to give practical and emotional support when it is needed most.

“We wanted to take this groundbreaking work further with the memorial, which serves as a poignant reminder of the need to raise awareness about the devastating consequences of road traffic collisions.

“Each year, lives are needlessly lost and the Partnership is working hard to make our roads safer and encourage everyone to be responsible road users.”

Provisional data shows 19 people lost their lives in Warwickshire in 2022, down from 34 in 2019, (), while 236 people were seriously injured in road traffic collisions, down from 282 in 2019.

The memorial was unveiled by road safety campaigner Sharron Huddleston, who lost her 18-year-old daughter Caitlin in a collision in Cumbria in 2017. She was the passenger in a car driven by her friend, a young and newly-qualified driver. Ms Huddleston has since worked with road safety charity Brake in her daughter’s memory.

Speaking after the unveiling, Ms Huddleston said: “I was honoured to be asked by Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership to unveil this very special memorial for road traffic victims today.

“This is something that is very close to my heart, as our family suffered the sudden tragic bereavement of our youngest child, Caitlin, at the age of 18. Caitlin was killed as passenger in road traffic collision six years ago, on the July 14.

“A lot of people don’t realise how many deaths and serious injuries there are on our roads and this memorial can hopefully raise awareness of this. Road traffic collisions are in fact the main cause of death for 17 to 24 year olds. These tragic deaths and injuries on our roads devastate families and change lives forever.  Having somewhere special to visit to honour and remember our loved ones is very important to bereaved families.”

Rebecca Morris, head of communications at RoadPeace, the national charity for road crash victims, said: “In 2022, almost 30,000 people were killed and seriously injured on the UK’s roads.

“Many people do not realise just how many people are affected by road crashes, until it happens to them. It is vital for us to raise awareness of the risks we all face when we use the roads, and of the devastating physical and mental impact that collisions have on individuals, families and communities.

“This beautiful memorial not only provides a symbolic place for people to visit to remember their loved ones, but it also reminds visitors to the park of the many people who have sadly lost their lives on Warwickshire’s roads over the years.”

Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership has also created an online space where a tribute to someone lost in a road traffic collision can be left.