Latest news with #RoadPeace
ITV News
18-05-2025
- ITV News
Girl, 9, killed by speeding driver in Halifax 'was sacrificed to prove need for speed cameras'
V ideo report by Katie Oscroft. The parents of a nine-year-old girl who was killed by a dangerous driver in Halifax believe their daughter's death enabled speed cameras to be installed where it happened. Alice Williams was knocked down by a speeding motorist who drove through a red light on King Cross Road in July 2023. Dashcam footage shows Qadeer Hussain driving almost 20mph over the limit in the outside lane and ignoring a red light. Speed cameras have since been put up to monitor drivers as they approach the crossing. Her mother Clare O'Neill said: "I do feel that Alice was sacrificed, to get the proof that those cameras were needed. And that doesn't feel good. "The cameras were massively needed, it's a school crossing, a park on one side and the school on the other. Drivers would ramp up their speed to get on to the flyover." Alice was crossing the road with Ms O'Neill and brother Joseph, then aged six, to go to the summer fair at St Mary's RC Primary School where she was a pupil. Qadeer Hussain, 55 of Essex Street, Halifax pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and was sentenced to eight years and four months in prison. Ms O'Neill said she believed her daughter had to die to get the cameras installed. She said: "They just appeared, we didn't have to do any campaigning. I know it's because of Alice. "She was the light of our lives. She was my little best friend. She was so affectionate, always telling you she loved you. This feels like a nightmare we can't wake up from." Alice's family have raised money for the road safety charity RoadPeace which helped them in the aftermath of the incident. Her father Chris Williams said: "We don't want anyone else to go through what we have so we will do anything to help the charity to repay them for the support they gave to us." Lucy Harrison, Justice and Outreach Manager for RoadPeace said: "This was a dangerous driver and no amount of changes would necessarily have stopped him from driving in that despicable way. "But we shouldn't be waiting for tragedies to occur before we take action. We need funding putting into road policing and we need greater enforcement." Ms O'Neill is now urging people to use dashcams in cars and to report near misses. She said: "Dashcam evidence in this case made all the difference, we've since reported people for going through red lights. Three of them have received warnings and that's important, they need to know they're not invisible and can be held accountable. "The man who killed Alice had a clean driving licence so he knew how to behave around cameras so if he knew he was being filmed then he wouldn't have done what he did. " A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "This is a tragic incident and our thoughts remain with Alice's friends and family. There's no excuse for those who risk the lives of others through speeding, which is why we are developing a new Road Safety Strategy, the first in over a decade, to ensure the UK's roads remain the safest in the world, and recently relaunched our THINK Campaign with a focus on speeding." Cllr Tim Swift, Calderdale Council's Cabinet Member for Public Health, said: 'We are deeply saddened by Alice's death, and offer our heartfelt sympathy to her family and friends who lost their loved one in such tragic circumstances. "One life lost on our roads is one too many. We all want safer roads and as a Council we take our responsibility to prevent people being injured on our roads incredibly seriously. "On King Cross Street we have installed speed and red light cameras. We're proud to be part of the West Yorkshire Vision Zero partnership, helping to deliver this important regional plan to eradicate all road deaths and serious injuries across West Yorkshire by 2040."
BBC News
17-05-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Redditch park display shares faces behind road death statistics
A woman who lost her brother in a road collision 10 years ago is hoping a display in her home town will get people talking about the devastating impact of road Harrison now works for Road Peace, a charity which works for the victims of crashes and their families, and said she wanted to "remind everyone that victims are more than statistics".Peace in the Park was installed at Arrow Valley Country Park in Redditch on Monday and features doves bearing pictures of those killed in road traffic collisions. They were created by young people who have been involved in driving crime, 40 families who have been bereaved through road crashes and Road Peace partner CFG. Ms Harrison said: "Redditch is my home town, so it is especially poignant for me – but also for our group members whose loved ones were killed on roads in Worcestershire."The display, which first went on display in Birmingham last year, is also due to visit Malvern and Hereford and has been supported by the West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner, John Saturday, members of the Road Peace team are due to be at the Boathouse Café between 11:00 and 14:00 BST, along with the families of some of those remembered on the Harrison said she hoped people looking at the photos would "see the faces behind the statistics" and understand the lasting effect these deaths and serious injuries have on families. In 2014, Ms Harrison's brother was killed at a crossing by a driver who was said "it completely changed my life", and the support she received from Road Peace eventually led to her leaving her job to work for them she added: "I've worked with so many families now and 10 years after my brother was killed it's the same stories, it's the same tragedies, the same frustrations."She said she was worried the numbers of road deaths had plateaued and that people "accept it as something which is inevitable when its not".Peace in the Park will remain in Redditch until 27 May, and Ms Harrison said that, beyond raising awareness, she wanted to see better support for victims and more done to prevent crashes. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rugby club members to cycle 870 miles ahead of international tournament
THREE Worcester RFC members will cycle 870 miles to take part in an international tournament. In June the club is set to participate in the International Mixed Ability Rugby Tournament (IMART) in Pamplona, Spain. Three enthusiastic members of the Worcester squad have decided to make the most of the experience by cycling around 1,400 kilometres to Pamplona. The journey will also serve as an opportunity to raise awareness of the mixed-ability rugby movement, and inspire others to travel by bike. In addition to cycling, club members Rob Collier, Steve Slawson, and Dan Brothwell also plan to use the expedition to raise funds for RoadPeace, a charity that supports road accident victims. Mr Collier said: "I'm really excited about the tournament and the journey there. "It's a real challenge, with multiple days of over 100 miles to cover. "We'll be carrying camping gear and our playing kit, so it will be long days in the saddle." The route begins in Worcester, taking the trio to the south coast of the UK, across France, and over the northern Pyrenees before reaching Pamplona. Beyond their roles at the rugby club, Mr Collier and Mr Brothwell serve as secretary and chair, respectively, of Bike Worcester, a group dedicated to motivating people to undertake more journeys by bike. Mr Brothwell said: "I love getting around Worcester on my bike, volunteering for the city bike buses helping children cycle to school, to work, and to the club for training, but this will be the longest ride I've ever done. "It's great to use the trip to support the charity RoadPeace, and all the fantastic work they do, raising awareness of road danger and supporting victims and families of road violence." WRFC Mixed Ability lead Tom Reeves said: "This will be the club's second time at IMART and we're thrilled we're taking both women's and men's teams. "For the lads to take on the challenge of travelling by bike is incredible, and shows what great guys they are looking to make the most out of this opportunity."
BBC News
11-02-2025
- BBC News
Dorset crash victim Laionie Kennard's mum: 'I want justice'
The mother of a teenager killed in a crash on a rural road in Dorset said she has been denied justice for her Laionie Kennard died in 2023 when the car she was a passenger in left Hurn Road between Matchams and driver, 20-year-old Joseph Pickett from Lyneham in Wiltshire, was given a 10-month suspended sentence last month at Poole Magistrates' parents are frustrated evidence they had from her phone was not allowed to be used in court. Accident investigators showed Pickett's car was travelling between 43 and 54mph - the area where the crash happened has a limit of Kelly Kennard was able to track her daughter's journey via an app, used by many parents of teenagers, called Life the crash, she purchased the extended information, which she said showed Laionie travelling at speeds of up to 80mph on the evening of the crash. That could be considered dangerous driving, but Pickett was prosecuted for careless driving, which carries a much lesser court, Mrs Kennard said she was told the app was not reliable for evidence purposes. She said: "Laionie has lost her whole life, her dreams, all her plans taken away, our lives are ruined. "He should have a custodial sentence, for him to be able to go back to his job in the army, it's a joke, it's not right." Dorset Police has said the Life 360 data was submitted along with the Forensic Collision Report to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).The CPS has been approached for comment, but in a letter to the Kennard family, it said the defendant's standard of driving was "just below" the threshold for dangerous driving. It said Pickett's early guilty plea and previous good character was taken into account for Kennard is now delivering stickers to shops in the Verwood area to raise awareness of her "justice for Laionie" has joined other bereaved parents from the RoadPeace campaign calling for tougher sentences for those who cause a death on the road and lifetime driving bans for those convicted. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
