Real stories

Doing something as simple as going for food can’t end in tragedy, can it?

For Francesca and 3 of her friends it did. Two of her friends lost their lives when they decided to go for a quick bite to eat with an inexperienced driver. Here she recalls the details of the horrific collision and how she felt having to go to her friend’s funerals.

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As a young driver you are far more likely to be involved in a road collision than other drivers. And collisions at the sort of speeds you’ll be travelling are going to hurt…if you're lucky.

2,538 people were killed on the UK’s roads in 2008. Their hurt got passed on to the family and friends who they left behind.

Matthew Hannon was only 22 when he lost his life in a horrific car crash. He was racing his best mate. His mum Ann tells us of the day it happened and what impact it had had on the Hannon family. View Mathews's story

Nobody admits to being a bad driver. After all, if you have never had an accident, that means you must be a good driver. Right?

Wrong! Geoff's daughter Kirsty was killed by a 'friend' who probably thought he was a good driver too. He crashed his car, destroying not just her life, but that of her whole family. Her father Geoff remembers the day he had to identify his daughter's body. He still feels guilty that he wasn't there to save his daughter as she lay dying in her car.

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So you know how to drive a car? But that doesn't make you a good driver.

Experience, anticipation and the ability to see the consequences of your actions, makes you a good driver. Greg’s niece was a very inexperienced newly qualified driver; she tragically lost her life in a road crash. In fact Greg was the sole survivor of the collision which also killed his wife and son who were all passengers in the car. Greg was cut from the wreckage and sustained serious injuries.

Do you think you’re a good driver, have you gained enough experience and skills?

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On his way to a party, Craig was told by his girlfriend that 65mph wasn't fast enough if they wanted to make it on time.

So he put his foot down... the next thing he remembers is waking up upside down with no feeling in his legs and his girlfriend motionless next to him. He will never walk again. His girlfriend is dead.

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