Families who lost loved ones in road crashes have described harrowing failures as a report by the Victims' Commissioner for England and Wales warned road crime is not treated as seriously as it should be. The report said loved ones of those killed, as well as seriously injured survivors, are routinely left in limbo and without proper support. Poor communication, lengthy police investigations, court delays and difficulties accessing support mean those affected face further injustice.
Families speak out
Joan and Mike O’Connor, whose 20-year-old son Liam died after being hit by a taxi on a pedestrian crossing in 2023, said: "After losing our child in such a devastating and traumatic manner, you’d think nothing else can be as bad. But our experience of the criminal justice system heaped layer after layer of injustice upon us and re-traumatised us at every stage."
Liam, a Newcastle University student and academy player at Sale Sharks rugby union club, died from his injuries. No charges were brought against the driver following a 15-month police investigation. The couple said they were stunned when ambulance footage was shown during Liam's inquest with no warning. They added: "We should have been given the choice whether we wanted to see the video from the start, but we weren’t. The experience was completely re-traumatising."
Joan and Mike said in a statement: "If our fit, healthy 20-year-old son had died in any other circumstance, such as a drunken punch while still inside the pub that night, we believe the response of the CPS would have been completely different. Instead, victims of road collisions are treated like second-class victims."
System failures highlighted
Louise Liddle, whose 44-year-old husband John died after being knocked off his bike by a minibus in 2023, said: "Victims don't just suffer because of the incident itself. They suffer because of the uncertainty, the delays and the lack of trauma-informed support afterwards. We should not have to become campaigners to fix the system."
She said that while John was in a coma, she felt let down by the criminal justice system. Louise recalled: "I felt the police were on my side throughout and were genuinely fighting for my case. They appealed the CPS’s decision not to prosecute the bus driver twice. But so much is out of their control because protocols limit what action they can take and what information they can share. In my case, red tape meant the police weren’t able to interview the bus driver for nine weeks, and they didn’t have the power to suspend his driving licence pending the outcome of the investigation. So, he returned to work straight away, driving minibuses past my house every day. That was incredibly traumatic and I had to move away from the area as a result."
Report recommendations
The report said there must be stronger oversight and accountability for road traffic collision investigations. It also called for police to be given consistent training for dealing with traumatised families, and fund specialist road traffic collision victim support services.
Claire Waxman, Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, said: "Behind every road death or serious injury is a victim, a grieving family and lives changed forever. Yet too many victims told me they felt road crime was not treated with the seriousness it deserved and that the harm they had suffered mattered less than other serious crimes. Many spoke of lengthy investigations, poor communication, repeated delays and a lack of support at the very time they needed it most. Some were forced to fight for basic information, answers and recognition while trying to cope with unimaginable loss and trauma. These experiences are not inevitable."
Ross Moorlock, chief executive of road safety charity Brake, said: "The report makes a compelling case for a more victim-centred approach, with timely and thorough investigations, stronger national standards, trauma-informed practice across all victim-facing agencies, and sustainable funding for specialist support services."
