Useful organisations

www.brake.org.uk/support

Brake’s National Road Victim Service provides someone to help you, from day one, if you are bereaved or seriously injured in a road crash (or someone in your family is).

We understand every road crash is different, every road victim is an individual, and your circumstance is uniquely painful and challenging.

• We promise to hear you, work with you to meet your needs, and help you feel safe and supported.
• Our aim is to help you cope, feel informed and listened to.
• We help you get the help you need from people and services in your community.
• We provide a safe space for you to access support and care.
• We are an independent service working in partnership with other services to care for your needs.

Call 0808 8000 401 (Mon-Fri 10am-4pm) or email help@brake.org.uk

www.roadpeace.org

RoadPeace provides support and information to people bereaved or seriously injured by a road crash. They offer support through their helpline, befriending service, trauma support programmes, local group network and remembrance activities including Remember Me roadside plaques.

RoadPeace has an extensive range of post-crash legal guides that can help families navigate the criminal justice system and their legal panel provides advice on civil compensation.

The charity also campaigns to improve victims’ rights and the response of the criminal justice system to road danger, and for greater priority to be given to reducing the number of future victims.

Helpline 0800 160 1069 (Mon-Fri 10am-4pm) or helpline@roadpeace.org

www.aftermathsupport.org.uk

The charity Aftermath Support provides support to road victims and their families.

We offer free, confidential advice and support. This could be information you need, or just a chat. We will listen to you as an individual and attempt to solve any problems before they occur.

Support could include:

• Practical help
• A listening ear
• Support from a trained volunteer
• Information about support groups and other organisations who are also experienced in dealing with road victims
• Information about other professional or voluntary support networks
• Information on organisations who can give advice on financial matters

You may not want help at the moment, but remember that we are here and you can ask for help at any time in the future.

Call 0151 777 2562 or 0845 634 4273 or email support@aftermathsupport.org.uk

www.dayonetrauma.org

Day One Trauma Support works alongside NHS colleagues within Major Trauma Centres. The charity has friendly and knowledgeable caseworkers on the ward, quite literally by the side of patients and their loved ones, from day one.

Day One’s support addresses the wide-ranging, complex and multi-faceted needs of those impacted by major physical trauma.

Support and signposting includes:

• Emergency financial assistance
• Legal advice and guidance
• Welfare, finance and benefits advice
• Counselling
• Peer support
• Funding for ward improvements
• Training and education for major trauma clinicians

Call 0300 303 5648 or email dayone@dayonetrauma.org

www.rvtrust.org.uk

The Road Victims Trust (RVT) offers emotional and practical support to anyone who lives in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire who is affected by a serious road collision. The charity can offer telephone support to people living outside the area.

Call 01234 843345 or email enquiries@rvtrust.co.uk

www.scard.org.uk

www.cadd.org.uk

SCARD and CADD work together to provide emotional and practical support to people who have lost a loved one in a crash, and highlight the dangers of drink- or drug-driving. The charities offer practical, legal and emotional help to anyone bereaved or injured in a road crash.

Helpline 0345 123 5542 (7 days a week, 9am-9pm including bank holidays)

Office enquiries 01924 562252 or info@scard.org.uk

www.scid.org.uk

SCID campaigns for tougher road traffic law and the rights of road crash victims. SCID offers phone support and face-to-face emotional support and advice for bereaved families of fatal road crashes in Scotland to guide them through the civil and criminal justice systems. This support is provided by volunteers, subject to availability.

www.victimsupport.org.uk

Victim Support is a charity that supports people affected by crime and traumatic events in England and Wales. Trained staff and volunteers can provide information and advice, emotional and practical help, advocacy, help navigating the criminal justice system.

Free Supportline 08 08 16 89 111 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)

victimsupport.scot

Victim Support Scotland provides free, confidential support to victims and witnesses of crime. Victim Support Scotland’s Witness Service provides information and emotional and practical support to victims, witnesses and bereaved relatives attending court.

Helpline 0800 160 1985 (Mon-Fri, 8am-8pm, 9am-1pm Sat)

www.londonvws.org.uk

The London Victims and Witness Service (LVWS) is a support service for London residents who are affected by or witness to crime. The service provides support to adult victims of crime, access to restorative justice and support for witnesses who attend court.

Call 0808 16 89 291

Free and independent support for both prosecution and defence witnesses in every criminal court in England and Wales.

Trained volunteers provide practical information about the process, as well as emotional support to help witnesses feel more confident when giving evidence.

Call 0300 332 1000 or go to www.citizensadvice.org.uk/witness

www.coronerscourtssupportservice.org.uk

The Coroners’ Courts Support Service offers emotional and practical support for bereaved people facing an inquest. Trained volunteers can offer guidance on procedures in the court.

Call 0300 111 2141 (Monday–Friday, 9am–6pm) or email helpline@ccss.org.uk.

Call 0808 808 1677 or go to www.cruse.org.uk

For children and young people go to www.hopeagain.org.uk

Call 0808 802 6161 or go to www.crusescotland.org.uk

For children and young people go to www.hopeagain.org.uk

Samaritans operates a 24-hour helpline for anyone in need

Call 116 123 or go to www.samaritans.org

Quaker Social Action provides practical support for people struggling with funeral costs. Call 020 8983 5055, email downtoearth@qsa.org.uk or go to quakersocialaction.org.uk.

Citizens Advice Scotland provides access to free, impartial and confidential advice, including on financial and legal matters. To find your nearest office, go to www.cas.org.uk or call 0800 028 1456.

Your local Citizens Advice can provide access to free, impartial and confidential advice, including on financial and legal matters.

To find your local branch, go to www.citizensadvice.org.uk

Call 0800 02 888 40, email helpline@childbereavementuk.org or go to www.childbereavementuk.org

Call 0800 282 986 or go to www.childdeathhelpline.org.uk

Call 0345 123 2304 (7 days a week, 10am-4pm and 7pm-10pm) or email helpline@tcf.org.uk or go to www.tcf.org.uk

Call 029 2081 0800 or go to www.careforthefamily.org.uk

Call 08088 020 021 or go to www.winstonswish.org

www.widowedandyoung.org.uk

WAY is a UK charity that offers a peer-to-peer support network for anyone who's lost a partner before their 51st birthday.

www.bettertransport.org.uk

Promotes sustainable and public transport.

www.livingstreets.org.uk

Promotes safety and accessibility for pedestrians.

www.sustrans.org.uk

Develops paths for walkers and cyclists.

www.busk-uk.co.uk

BUSK works with the minibus and coach industry and other passenger transport providers to promote safe journeys for all passengers. The charity specialises in home-to-school transport, school trips in the UK and school visits abroad.

BUSK provides free services for parents and schools and runs an independent star rating service for the coach industry based on safety and legal compliance.

Call 01495 981185 or email buskuk@btinternet.com

www.rospa.com

RoSPA’s road safety department raises awareness about the causes of road crashes and promotes measures to help prevent them. This charity does not provide support services for road crash victims.

Call 0121 248 2000 or email help@rospa.com

www.brake.org.uk

Brake is a road safety charity working with communities and organisations across the UK to stop the tragedy of road deaths and injuries, make streets and communities safer for everyone, and support people bereaved and seriously injured on roads.

Brake also:

• campaigns for evidence-based policies and investments to enable everyone to have access to safe and healthy mobility
• works with schools and families, communities and companies to champion the cause of road safety and raise awareness of key road safety issues
• coordinates Road Safety Week, the UK's biggest annual road safety campaign
• helps organisations that employ people who drive for work to manage work-related road risk
• supports professionals working with road crash victims.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is the main agency responsible for prosecuting criminal cases that have been investigated by the police in England and Wales. It works from regional offices.

To find contact details for your local CPS office, go to www.cps.gov.uk

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is responsible for these parts of the justice system:

• Courts
• Prisons
• Probation services
• Attendance centres

The MoJ works with other government departments and agencies.

www.gov.uk/moj

HM Prison and Probation Service carries out sentences given by the courts, in custody and the community, and rehabilitates people in its care through education and employment.

www.gov.uk/hmpps

HM Courts & Tribunals Service is responsible for the administration of criminal, civil and family courts and tribunals in England and Wales.

www.gov.uk/hmcts

www.gov.scot or www.mygov.scot

In Scotland, the Cabinet Secretary for Justice is responsible for the Scottish Criminal Justice System, including matters concerning victims of crime, and for some aspects of traffic policing including administration of speed cameras and the Driver Improvement Scheme.

Call 0300 244 4000 or email ceu@gov.scot

www.scotland.police.uk

Has a road policing business area that has some responsibility for determining policing policy. Other policies are determined by the Chief Constable.

Call 101 or fill in the contact form on the Police Scotland website

www.copfs.gov.uk

COPFS is responsible for the prosecution of crime in Scotland, the investigation of sudden or suspicious deaths and complaints against the police.

Call 0300 020 3000 or email EnquiryPoint@copfs.gov.uk

www.scotcourts.gov.uk

The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service is responsible for providing the staff, buildings and technology to support Scotland’s courts and tribunals, the work of the independent judiciary, the courts’ Rules Councils, the Office of the Public Guardian and the Accountant of the Court. In April 2010 it was established by the Judiciary and Courts (Scotland) Act 2008 as an independent body, governed by a corporate board and chaired by the Lord President, the most senior judge in Scotland.

Call 0131 444 3300 or email enquiries@scotcourts.gov.uk

www.sps.gov.uk

The Scottish Prison Service is an agency of the Scottish Government responsible for prisons.

Call 0131 330 3500 or email gaolinfo@sps.pnn.gov.uk

www.scottishparoleboard.scot

The Parole Board for Scotland makes decisions about early prisoner release.

Call 0131 244 8373 or email enquiries@paroleboard.scot

www.scottishsentencingcouncil.org.uk

The Scottish Sentencing Council prepares sentencing guidelines for judges. It is not responsible for, and does not comment on, individual sentences.

Email sentencingcouncil@scotcourts.gov.uk

The Department for Transport is responsible for many areas of road safety policy, ranging from setting the drink drive limit to road safety TV campaigns. The Department for Transport also commissions research on road safety topics.

The department’s road safety work is led by the Road Safety Minister.

www.gov.uk/dft

The Welsh Government is responsible for some aspects of transport and road safety in Wales, including maintenance of motorways and major trunk roads.

www.gov.wales/transport

National Highways is the agency responsible for managing and improving motorways and major A roads in England.

www.nationalhighways.co.uk

Local authorities are responsible for local roads that are not motorways or major A roads. Local authority highway engineers oversee local roads’ design, repair, markings and speed limits. Local authority road safety officers run pedestrian and cycle training for children, manage school crossing patrols and run local publicity campaigns. Contact your local authority for more information.

To find your local authority in England, go to www.gov.uk/find-local-council

To find your local authority in Wales, go to gov.wales/find-your-local-authority

The DVLA is responsible for licensing and registering drivers and vehicles and collects vehicle excise duty (tax).

www.gov.uk/dvla

DVSA is responsible for annual testing of vehicles and enforcement checks on the maintenance standards of lorries, buses and coaches, and their compliance with laws including drivers’ hours rules. It is also responsible for driving tests and promoting road use rules such as the Highway Code.

www.gov.uk/dvsa

Traffic commissioners are regionally appointed officials responsible for licensing companies to operate lorries, buses and coaches. Traffic commissioners have powers to issue and take away an operator’s licence.

To find your local traffic commissioner go to www.gov.uk/traffic-commissioners

The Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity is responsible for road safety policy in Scotland.

Call 0300 244 4000 or email scottish.ministers@gov.scot

www.transport.gov.scot

Transport Scotland is responsible for trunk road safety.

Call 0141 272 7100 or email info@transport.gov.scot

roadsafety.scot

Road Safety Scotland is funded by the Scottish Government to produce road safety education resources and run road safety publicity campaigns in Scotland, working with local authorities and police.

Call 0131 244 6133 or fill in the contact form on the Road Safety Scotland website.

The Traffic Commissioner is an appointed official with responsibility for licensing companies to operate lorries, buses and coaches. The Traffic Commissioner has the power to issue and take away an operator’s licence.

Call 0300 123 9000 or email enquiries@otc.gov.uk

If you are worried about a local traffic problem your local councillor may be able to help. You can find out their contact details by calling your local authority.

To find your local authority in England, go to www.gov.uk/find-local-council

To find your local authority in Wales, go to gov.wales/find-your-local-authority

Your MP's job is to represent your interests in Parliament. You may want to write to them or meet them to discuss any aspect of your case which you think they could act upon.

To find the name of your MP, go to members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP

You can find out who represents you, how they’ve voted and what they’ve said in debates at www.theyworkforyou.com

You can write to your MP at the House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA.

Your MSP’s job is to represent your interests in the Scottish Parliament. You may want to write to or meet them to discuss any aspect of your case which you think they could act upon.

To find out the name of your MSP, call 0131 348 5000 or go to www.parliament.scot and type in your postcode.

You can write to your MSP at the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh EH99 1SP.

If you live in Wales, your Senedd Member may be able to help.

To find details of your Senedd Member, go to senedd.wales/find-a-member-of-the-senedd.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council's road policing committee has some responsibility for determining policing policy on traffic, drugs, alcohol and victim support. Other policies are determined by the chief constable of each force.

email info@npcc.police.uk or go to www.npcc.police.uk

MASS is a national association of motor accident solicitors who represent victims of road crashes. MASS provides lists of solicitors that specialise in personal injury

call 0117 925 9604 or go to www.mass.org.uk

The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) provides lists of solicitors that specialise in personal injury

call 0115 943 5400 or go to www.apil.org.uk

The Institute of Traffic Accident Investigators (ITAI) may be able to help you find a crash investigator to carry out an independent vehicle examination.

www.itai.org or email admin@itai.org

STEP provides details of solicitors who specialise in wills and probate.

step.org or email step@step.org

The Law Society provides details of solicitors who specialise in different areas of law.

lawsociety.org.uk

The Law Society of Scotland provides details of solicitors in Scotland who specialise in different areas of law.

www.lawscot.org.uk