August is National Road Victim Month. To date over 500,000 people have been killed on the roads in Great Britain since the death of Bridget Driscoll in 1896. August was designated National Road Victim Month by RoadPeace after the death of Diana Princess of Wales in 1997. She was killed on 31 August, the same day as the world’s first motor vehicle victim, Mary Ward, was killed in Ireland in 1869. Britain’s first road death also occurred in August, when Bridget Driscoll was killed in Crystal Palace on 17th August 1896, with the coroner pronouncing “this must never happen again”.

RoadPeace held a remembrance event at RoadPeace Wood in Staffordshire on August 11.

Remembrance is vital not only for reminding society of the number of victims, but also to highlight the long term psychological impact of those bereaved and injured in road crashes. A survey by RoadPeace of its members found that:

• 95% of victims suffered with symptoms of PTSD after the crash
• Nearly 30% (27.8) of victims felt suicidal after the crash, and 7.2% self harmed as a result

These results are shocking. Nick Simmons, CEO of RoadPeace, commented that ‘society has too long underestimated the effect of road crashes. Thousands die or are injured on the roads in Great Britain each year, but countless more are suffering as they deal with the fallout from these crashes. RoadPeace’s Remembrance Ceremonies are to remember the dead and help support those left behind by giving them the opportunity to connect with each other.’

We would like to thank all of those who came and we hope the event was useful to you.

Updated on: 15 August 2018