A powerful road safety installation, the Tree of Life, has visited several locations across Sandwell this month, allowing students and members of the public a chance to reflect on the impact of road collisions and make a personal pledge to be a safer road user.
The Tree of Life was on display at Sandwell College earlier this month, before moving to Sandwell Council House from 12 to 20 February. Visitors to the Council House were invited to write a pledge committing to safer behaviour on the roads, whether they drive, cycle, walk, or use a scooter, and post it into a special pledge box.
In 2024, 150 people were killed or seriously injured on Sandwell’s roads, with car occupants and pedestrians most at risk. Young drivers are particularly vulnerable, with around one in five serious or fatal car-collision casualties involving a young driver, and young men aged 17 to 24 four times more likely to be killed or seriously injured than older drivers.
The letters on the Tree of Life feature deeply personal messages from families whose loved ones were killed in road collisions. Each letter tells a real story, offering visitors a chance to see the human consequences of reckless and dangerous driving.
The Tree of Life has been created by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) in partnership with a peer support group of families bereaved through road crashes, alongside police and local councils. It forms part of the Zero Tolerance to Road Harm campaign, which also features bereaved families reading messages to lost loved ones or to the drivers responsible for taking their lives.
One letter, written by Diane, speaks directly to the driver who killed her husband, Martyn: “The day you killed my husband, Martyn, Dad to our two girls, has forever changed our lives. Your actions of looking at your phone instead of the road ahead has had lifelong consequences for us all. Martyn has missed our girls’ milestones and becoming a grandad for the first time.”
Another, from Lucy to her brother Peter, killed in a hit-and-run, says: “I wonder what you would be like, but I cannot know – we will never know, because your potential was wiped out by a driver. I have never stopped missing you.”
Cllr Keith Allcock, cabinet member for environment and highways at Sandwell Council, said: “Everyone has a role to play in road safety, whether they’re behind the wheel, on a bike, or simply crossing the road.
“The pledges made at Sandwell College and the Council House are about personal responsibility and collective action, helping us build safer streets for everyone.”
Cllr Suzanne Hartwell, deputy leader and cabinet member for neighbourhoods and community at Sandwell Council, added: “The Tree of Life is a powerful and deeply moving reminder that road danger isn’t about statistics, it’s about people, families, and lives changed forever.
“Bringing this installation to Sandwell gives our residents and students the chance to commit to making safer choices every time they travel.”
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