A 17-YEAR-OLD who lost her brother in a crash delivered a heartbreaking speech on road safety to a Wotton-under-Edge school.

Izzy Pain, of North Nibley, spoke at a Drive for Life event hosted by Katharine Lady Berkeley’s School on Wednesday, February 11, in which students were warned about dangers facing young drivers.

Izzy’s brother Oliver Pain, 18, died after crashing a car while travelling through Wick. His friend, Harry Smith, 17, was in the passenger seat at the time, and also lost his life in the accident.

Speaking in front of hundreds of students, school staff and local dignitaries, Izzy, who is now learning to drive herself, spoke of the sadness suffered by her family at the loss of Oliver.

“The pain for us is still raw, as it is for Harry’s family,” she said. “As time goes on I realise how much further I am from seeing him.

“I’m not telling you this to upset you or upset myself. I’m telling you this in hope that you try and take one thing away from this day that you can apply to your driving.

“The last thing I would want is for your younger brother or sister to be stood where I am today, with the same ache in their heart”.

When Izzy concluded her speech she was met with a standing ovation from the audience, many of whom were visibly moved by her words.

KLB’s headteacher Andrew Harris spoke of both the joys and hazards of driving, noting four students from the school who died as a result of crashes in recent years.

He said: “Having a car is just a fabulous asset and offers freedom and flexibility, particularly in this area where public transport is, at best, limited.

“It also brings with it quite a lot of risks, and in a rural area like this there are additional dangers: a lot of the driving is on narrow roads where the only limit is the national speed limit.

“In the past two and a half years four students have lost their lives tragically in accidents. It is important that we do what we can to make people aware of the risks and help them avoid them.”

Students took part in a mixture of activities and lessons throughout the course of the day.

They learned from members of the emergency services about how an investigation develops, heard a discussion on the ‘ripple effect’ of breaking the news of a crash to a victim’s family and engaged in practical exercises to show the effect of driving under the influence of drink and drugs.

Drive for Life was organised by Gloucestershire’s Road Safety Partnership, made up of Gloucestershire County Council, Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue, and the county's Police and Crime Commissioner Martin Surl.

Mr Surl, reflecting on the event, said: “I cannot praise Izzy too highly. What she did today took immense courage. What she had to say and how she said it was the best road safety message you could imagine.

“Katharine Lady Berkeley’s School also deserve great credit for allowing this event to go ahead when what they’ve been through is still very keenly felt and emotions are raw. I believe the Government should put this sort of event on the curriculum for all secondary schools to explain the importance of safe and social driving and that it is not about taking away young people’s fun.

“Even now I can remember the thrill of passing my driving test and the freedom it meant, but statistics show there is a strong possibility someone in today’s audience will be involved in a crash. I hope Izzy’s example and what they have learned will help keep them safe”.

A number of other outside organisations also supported the day, including the Institute of Advanced Motoring, the AA, NHS, South West Ambulance and Stroud District Road Safety Liaison Group.