Support for those affected by road death and injury

When someone passes away suddenly following a road related death, a common response to the shock and pain is to create a memorial by placing tokens of remembrance at the roadside close to the site of the death. The importance of this ritual in the grieving process is fully recognised by the council, and an approach has been developed to enable the sensitive management of roadside memorials, which ensures the feelings of those affected are fully respected, whilst maintaining public safety on the highway.

Contact between the council and those bereaved by road death is managed through a Police Family Liaison Officer. The officer is responsible for liaising with those closely affected, organising visits to the scene, facilitating the safe laying of temporary tributes and arranging the removal of personal items before the area is cleared.

The council is responsible for assessing the site. In most cases the laying of floral or other tributes will be permitted for a temporary period, on the understanding that they are placed away from hazardous or distracting locations on the highway. Temporary memorials will be monitored by the council to ensure they remain appropriate. Those closely affected will be informed of the date that tributes will be removed through the Family Liaison Officer.

Permanent roadside memorials are not permitted and gatherings or laying of tributes on the highway at significant anniversaries is not allowed. Instead, the council encourages family and friends to create lasting memorials at alternative meaningful locations away from the public highway, such as parks, schools or other suitable sites.

Find out about the costs and rules for memorial plaques and benches in Leeds.

An oak tree planted in Park Square, Leeds LS1 2NP commemorates all those in Leeds who have lost their lives or been seriously affected by road crashes. In 2024, the memorial plaque was updated to mark the 25th anniversary of the tree's planting. The tree is not intended as a place for laying flowers or tributes, instead it provides a quiet place for reflection and remembrance, and a location to pause, remember and pay respects.

A web page has been created by West Yorkshire Vision Zero Partnership to honour all those affected by road death and injury in our area. It provides an opportunity to make a dedication to the people who have died in road related deaths, and pledge support for Vision Zero.

Find out more at the West Yorkshire Vision Zero memorial page.

Family, friends, and loved ones of those affected by road crashes are welcome at the annual memorial event hosted by the charity SCARD. The service of remembrance takes place in Leeds Minster every November during Brake Road Safety Week.

For more information email info@scard.org.uk.

Practical and emotional help and advice is available from specialist organisations for those who have been bereaved or injured as a result of a crash or serious incident on the road. Help is also available for those who have witnessed a death or serious injury.

• Brake is a national road safety charity offering comprehensive support, including a dedicated West Yorkshire advocacy service, a helpline, and a downloadable guide. Victims of serious road collisions and their families can access additional support through an Independent Road Victim Advocate (IRVA). Face-to-face support is available following a referral.
• SCARD is a West Yorkshire charity, offering support and care after road death and injury. It has an online memorial page and holds a service of remembrance at Leeds Minster every year in November.
• Naomi Cheri Gough Foundation is a West Yorkshire charity helping parents and guardians of a child whose life has been taken on the roads of West Yorkshire due to a road traffic incident.
• DayOne is a charity offering help to anyone in West Yorkshire affected by major physical trauma.
• Victim Support is a national charity offering support to victims of crime and traumatic events. It has local victim assessment and referral centre and helpline based in West Yorkshire.
• Leeds Suicide Bereavement Service - offers compassionate support for people bereaved by suicide.

• Bereavement services - information about services for the bereaved in Leeds.
• Leeds Directory - information about bereavement, emotional support, and a wide range of other support. services available in Leeds and nationally.
• Mindwell Leeds - directory of mental health support in Leeds.
• Leeds Mind - mental health and wellbeing support for adults in Leeds.

• Dial Leeds – support for disabled people in Leeds.
• William Merritt Disabled Living Centre – a Leeds based charity providing impartial and professional advice for children and adults living with a disability or long-term condition.
• Leeds adult social care – help for adults in Leeds who need support to live well.
• Carers Leeds – information, advice, and support to unpaid carers in Leeds.
• Leeds SEND Local Offer – help and advice for Leeds children and young people with disabilities and special education needs and their parents and carers.
• Leeds blue badge scheme – parking permits for people in Leeds with severe disabilities.
• Changing Places - information on the location of Changing Places toilets in for people with disabilities in Leeds.
• Leeds Money Information Centre – support on a range of money related matters.
• Citizens Advice Leeds – provides confidential advice to people in Leeds on a wide range of matters and offers a support service to witnesses.

• Leeds Registrars Service – information about how to register a death in Leeds.
• What to do when someone dies – government advice about the legal and financial process.
• The Coroner’s Court Support Service – a national service providing emotional support and practical help. to bereaved families, witnesses and others attending an inquest at a Coroner’s Court.
• Crime Prosecution Service - a national service providing information for victims and witnesses.
• Motor Accident Solicitors Society (MASS) – the national association of motor accident solicitors who represent victims of road crashes.
• Law Society – help to find a solicitor in the UK.
• Disability Law Service – free national legal advice for people with disabilities and their families.