Mum's plea to parents after daughter died in crash

Leanne Vaughan's teenage daughter Lily-May was killed in a crash in February 2023

"I thought I was so blessed - I had two children, life was good, but then one day your daughter goes out the door, totally happy, and she never comes home."

Lily-May Vaughan, 17, from Kidderminster, was passenger in a car driven by Logan Addison, 20, when it came off the road near Shawbury Heath in Shropshire on 4 February 2023.

In June 2025, Mr Addison, who was 17 at the time of the crash, was jailed for five and a half years after being found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving.

Lily-May's mother, Leanne Vaughan, is campaigning for more restrictions for newly-qualified drivers, and is urging parents to "challenge" their children who are getting into the car with a new driver.

"Lily-May was my whole world, I absolutely idolised her," Ms Vaughan said.

The primary school teacher added that her daughter was a "ray of happiness" who would light up every room.

"She was just such a positive girl, and she was a proper down-to-earth girl who liked the simple things in life," she said.

"She loved all animals - I used to say she was like the blonde Snow White because she just seemed to enchant animals."

Lily-May had a passion for nature and loved walking her dog Sadie, Ms Vaughan said

"It is indescribable losing a child, especially so tragically," Ms Vaughan said.

She is now calling for "simple changes" to the law, like restrictions on newly-qualified drivers carrying passengers.

Ms Vaughan hopes this would "empower young people when they hear how it destroys families".

"Just spending six months feeling confident, driving yourself around with no pressure, is really going to benefit [young people.]."

According to road safety charity Brake, one in five drivers crash within a year of passing their test.

The latest data from the Department for Transport (DfT) found that in 2023 around a fifth of all people killed or seriously injured in car crashes were in collisions involving a young driver.

The DfT, which defines a "young driver" as someone aged between 17 and 24, also found that crashes involving young drivers were more likely to include factors like "loss of control" and "exceeding speed limit" when compared to drivers of other ages.

Ms Vaughan said her daughter had a strong connection to the natural world, calling her "the blonde Snow White"

"This can literally happen to anyone", Ms Vaughan said, adding that she "didn't think until the day it happened to me that this was the biggest danger to Lily-May".

She is now urging parents to dissuade their children from taking a lift with a newly-qualified driver.

"It's okay to challenge them and make sure you share with them my story."