THE widespread trauma caused by fatal road accidents will be brought into sharp focus at a special church service in Kidderminster this month.

The annual RoadPeace Service of Remembrance will involve families of victims and people who have to deal with tragedies in their working lives.

Peter Picken, of Wyre Forest RoadPeace, said: "Roads are getting busier and in the past year eight people have been killed on Wyre Forest roads.

"Despite all the road engineering, vehicle safety features and increased awareness of the dangers, people are still dying and it is human actions and human errors we need to address.

"The number of deaths is going down marginally in Wyre Forest and nationally but one of the biggest problems is people believing 'it will not happen to me'.

"They are not heeding advice aimed at making them aware of the dangers our roads present."

Mr Picken has first-hand experience of the effect fatalities have on a community, having had a 34-year career in the police force, rising to chief superintendent in Kidderminster before retiring seven years ago.

He said: "An enormous number of people can be affected by the pain and grief caused by a fatal road crash and, for many, it stays with them for the rest of their lives.

"These accidents have a tremendous knock-on effect on our community. The families of victims suffer great trauma - but so do their friends and work colleagues and so do the families, friends and colleagues of others involved in the crash. We need to do everything we can to minimise this trauma."

He added: "All members of our community - drivers, passengers and pedestrians - have a responsibility to try and make roads safer. We need to think about it every time we get in a car or walk down a road.

"People should ensure they are as stress-free as possible when they are driving. We should all treat getting behind the wheel of a car with great respect and responsibility."

Wyre Forest RoadPeace has members who have been living with the memories of fatal accidents for more than 40 years, underlining that the trauma stays with people for a very long time, said Mr Picken.

Firefighters, police, ambulance personnel, media representatives and hospital staff will be joining relatives and friends of victims for the remembrance evening at St Ambrose Church, Birmingham Road, on Sunday, November 20 at 6.30pm.

Former Kidderminster Hospital chaplain, Canon Paul Brothwell, and parish priest, Father Douglas Lamb, will lead the service.

Those who have lost family or friends in road tragedies are invited to write their names on a symbolic oak leaf for remembrance in prayers.

Acorns will also be handed out as a symbol of regeneration. Those touched by road tragedies are asked to plant them to produce an oak tree as a symbol of life and a lasting reminder of a loved one.

Those who would like loved ones remembered in the prayers are invited to attend the service or can fill in the coupon on this page and send it to RoadPeace Service, c/o Clive Joyce, Shuttle/Times and News, Blackwell Street, Kidderminster DY10 2DY.

RoadPeace, the national charity for road victims, was set up in 1992 to support the bereaved after fatal accidents and campaigns for safer driving.

Please fill in coupon and return to RoadPeace Service, c/o Clive Joyce, Shuttle/Times and News, Blackwell Street, Kidderminster DY10 2DY

I would like.................................................................... who was a

road accident victim on .................................................................

to be remembered in prayers at the RoadPeace Service of Remembrance at St Ambrose Church, Kidderminster, on Sunday, November 20, 2006.

RoadPeace Service of Remembrance