Road crash campaigner honoured 12 years after her brother was killed

A woman who has spent more than a decade supporting families who have lost loved ones on the roads has been honoured at this year's Outstanding Citizens' Awards.

Lucy Harrison received the award for Outstanding Contribution to Supporting Victims of Crime from Simon Foster, the Police and Crime Commissioner for the force area that covers Birmingham.

She described the award as "bittersweet". "Had my brother not been killed, I wouldn't be doing any of this," she said.

A hit-and-run on Hagley Road West

Lucy's elder brother, Peter, was 39 when he was killed in a hit-and-run on 29 November 2014. He was walking home along Hagley Road West at around 9pm when he was hit by a driver travelling at 61mph.

"The driver fled the scene and it was just a real shock," she said.

The driver, Omar Tariq, was originally sentenced to three years and four months. After Lucy and her family challenged the sentence, it was increased to four and a half years, with a five-year driving ban.

From support to campaigning

Lucy says that for 18 months after Peter's death nobody spoke to her about any support at all. Then she heard about RoadPeace, the national charity for road crash victims, which she describes as an "absolute lifesaver".

She went on to run the charity's regional branch for 10 years. When it closed, leaving many families without support, she set up her own organisation, Road to Change CIC, at the start of this year. It offers advocacy, community remembrance and road safety campaigning for families dealing with the trauma of losing someone in a collision. She has raised money for it with a skydive, and is quietly building a group in Wales.

What she wants to change

Lucy wants to see lifetime driving bans and new charges for drivers who fail to stop at the scene of a crash, and says prevention is another priority. Birmingham Live has campaigned for the Ministry of Justice and the Sentencing Council to update disqualification guidelines, so that drivers who kill or seriously injure through reckless driving, and hit-and-run drivers who leave victims hurt at the roadside, are banned for life by default.

"This award is for everyone"

She said she was proud of the families she supports, and that the award belongs to all of them. "I kind of only ever wanted to be a teacher or a journalist," she said. "I ended up on a totally different path and you kind of reflect on what life would have been like, and what would he be like if he was here now?"

She said it was "meaningful" to have the work recognised by the commissioner.

The Outstanding Citizens' Awards

The awards, run by the Police and Crime Commissioner's office, recognise people and groups who have made their communities safer or supported victims of crime, often as volunteers and with little recognition.

Support after a road death

Families bereaved by a road crash can get support from charities including RoadPeace and Brake, and through the police family liaison officer assigned to fatal collisions. The national Victim Support service can also help, whether or not anyone has been charged.