HEARTBROKEN families whose lives have been shattered by the devastating impact of car crashes are invited to remember their loved ones at a poignant memorial service.
As part of National Road Safety week, there will be a service at Immingham Methodist Church, in Pelham Road, to bring comfort to families who are grieving for loved ones who have been killed on the road.
It will be attended by the emergency services who are the first to arrive at the tragic scenes, which they say are so often preventable.
Community safety advocate, Ben Watcham, a retired firefighter, said: "It will not be a sombre or a full-on religious service, it will be a chance for people, if they wish, to talk about the person they have lost and a chance to remember all the good things about them in a nice way.
"We have obviously seen some horrible things, injured people and unfortunately people who have died, and nearly all of them have been preventable.
"Unfortunately, nearly everyone knows someone who has died in a collision. This will be a chance to reflect and bring back happy memories of that person, a chance to think about them and perhaps talk to other people who have been in the same situation. We know the pain never goes away, but we hope this will bring some comfort."
Over the last 12 months the service has attended more than 400 road traffic collisions on the region's roads.
During National Road Safety week, firefighters will be out in force giving educational talks on how to stay safe on the roads – especially during the expected harsh winter.
Mr Watcham continued: "A lot of the advice is common sense, but sometimes people just need reminding of the difficulties of the roads. I have attended many accidents and nearly all of them have been down to speed, drink or drugs.
"When someone dies in a collision, it is a huge shock for their families, they just get a knock on their door and then their misery and pain starts.
"We don't want this to happen to anyone. We want people to drive safe and arrive alive. There is no such thing as an accident – they are collisions and all collisions can be prevented."
For information about the memorial service, which will be on Tuesday at 7.30pm, or advice about Road Safety Week, contact 01472 372500.