Bereaved Calderdale dad's road safety plea to teens

Steve Gough, whose 19-year-old daughter Naomi was killed in an accident on Burdock Way in Halifax in January 2007, was one of the speakers at the roadshow at The Victoria Theatre hosted by West Yorkshire Fire Service and aimed at saving lives.

Mr Gough and his wife Bev have set up road safety charity Naomi Cheri Gough Foundation which, as well as supporting bereaved parents, campaigns to prevent people driving recklessly.

Other speakers included members of the police, fire and ambulance services, and Vicar of Halifax, The Rev Canon Hilary Barber, who said: “I’ve had to conduct the funerals of too many young people.

"It’s just devastating, not only for their family and friends but for the emergency services.”

Ambulance Medical Technician Adrian Firth said: “It’s a message that needs to be heard. Every day there are roads that you can’t drive on because there have been incidents. We don’t want to go to these jobs.”

Sergeant Cameron Buchan, of Western Area Roads Policing Team, added: “We’re talking to the Xbox generation but the reality is that you don’t just walk out of hospital with £500 less and start again. The reality is you could lose your life.”

Year 11 and Sixth Form students from Calderdale College, The Crossley Heath School, The Brooksbank School, Brighouse High School, The North Halifax Grammar School and Project Challenge took part in the roadshow.

For more information about the Naomi Cherie Gough Foundation visit https://naomicherigoughfoundation.org.uk/