New memorial for road traffic victims “a place for reflection”

The first permanent memorial for road traffic victims has been unveiled in Warwickshire, with a special ceremony attended by representatives of the county’s emergency services, road safety campaigners and local dignitaries.

Funded by Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership, 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 sits as part of Hartshill Hayes Country Park’s commemorative wood and offers families a peaceful location to remember family members, friends or colleagues affected by a road traffic collision.

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.

Philip Seccombe, the region’s police and crime commissioner and chair of Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership, 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 is a place for reflection and not judgement, helping to reinforce the message to all those affected by a collision that they are not alone.”

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. Sharron has since worked with road safety charity Brake in Caitlin’s memory.

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

“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 17-24 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.”

Also supporting the unveiling was RoadPeace, the national charity for road crash victims. 

Rebecca Morris, head of communications at RoadPeace, 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.”

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