Families lay out shoes for road safety campaign

Naomi Crane, pictured with son Mani, clutched the shoes of her late 19-year-old son Sonny Jasper Crane

Grieving families laid out shoes in a city centre as a poignant and concerning reminder of the increasing number of road deaths.

Fifty-one people died on Essex's roads in 2024 and police say 57 people have already been killed this year.

Campaigners laid out 51 pairs of shoes in Chelmsford city centre on Monday as part of the Safer Essex Road Partnership's (SERP) attempts to eliminate all road deaths in the county by 2040.

Naomi Crane donated shoes to the display that her 19-year-old son was wearing when he was killed as a passenger in a crash in 2021.

Sonny Jasper Crane died from head injuries three weeks after the collision in Waltham Abbey.

"It's a very depressing representation of lives needlessly lost," said Ms Crane, who lives in Hertford.

"They're not accidents, they're crashes, and, with safer driving, these deaths are preventable.

"If this raises awareness and saves one other family and a waste of life, then it's worth it.

"Everyone's always in a hurry to get somewhere, but just getting there is enough."

Fifty-one pairs of shoes represented each life lost on Essex roads in 2024

Ms Crane said her son was "a very bright shining light in our family, and now there's just a hole".

She wants to see graduate drivers' licences introduced, to prevent new drivers from carrying passengers too soon after passing their test.

Sonny's 25-year-old brother Mani was supporting his mum at the exhibition, describing her as "the backbone of our family".

He said the grief "doesn't get any easier" but stressed the importance of these conversations.

Aime Grieve paid homage to her mum on what would have been her 67th birthday

Aime Grieve's mother Hilary was killed in 2023 in Maldon by a driver who had been reaching for a pack of chewing gum at the time.

She showed up on what would have been her mum's 67th birthday.

"She was amazing, she would have done anything for anyone, especially me," said the 29-year-old.

"It's heart-breaking because I do believe that most of [the road deaths] could be avoided, which is the most tragic thing really."

Her message to motorists: "Please, just think twice, you ruin your own life, you ruin so many other people's lives.

"Don't take your eyes off the road, and if you're late, take your time, you'd rather be late than take yourself or someone else's life."

Zero deaths has been achieved in Finland's capital, says SERP's Will Cubbins

SERP is working with other agencies, including Essex Police and the fire service, to try reducing road deaths to zero.

The charity Brake is also hosting a national Road Safety Week awareness campaign.

Earlier this year, Essex Police said it was due to trial cameras designed to identify drivers not wearing seatbelts and using mobile phones.

SERP manager Will Cubbins said the target of zero deaths was "ambitious" but "achievable" pointing out the success in Helsinki, Finland.

"But it's only achievable if everyone wants it and everyone plays their part," he said.