Giving Hope to Rebuild Lives: Practical and Emotional Support for Those Bereaved by Road Traffic Collisions

Abstract

In the United Kingdom (UK), the Department for Transport (DfT) reported that 1,558 people died in Road Traffic Collisions (RTC) in 2021 (DfT, 2022). A considerable proportion of the UK population is impacted by RTCs yearly. RTC deaths involve police investigations, coronial processes, insurance claims, court (criminal and civil) proceedings, hospitals, and even media attention (Mitchell, 1997; WHO, 2004), which potentially impact the grief experience of bereaved families (Breen & O'Connor, 2009; Tehrani, 2004). There is limited literature on support for bereaved family members (Huang, 2016). To better understand what supports people bereaved by RTCs with their grief, feedback from RTC support service Road Victims Trust (RVT) was analysed, and RVT service users and staff were interviewed. Data was gathered and analysed using Grounded Theory, and a model of the process of grief, bereavement support and the impact of the Criminal Justice System was developed from the data. The model conceptualises grief as a dynamic process positively and negatively impacted by psycho-social factors, including counselling, informal support, practical support and the criminal justice system. The findings suggest that the Criminal Justice System significantly impacts the bereaved who wish to know what happened to their loved one. Family Liaison Officers (FLOs) can be a source of support and information for families but are constrained by the demands of their job and the needs of investigations. These constraints can frustrate families. RVT counsellors are given training in bereavement and legal processes; this specialist knowledge helps them to support bereaved families to normalise their grief and frustration. People who have been bereaved by RTCs believe they needed professional support from RVT very soon after bereavement and could not have waited six months, as is recommended in some literature. Some participants wanted to receive peer support from people who have been through RTC bereavement, but RVT does not offer such a service; they were ultimately satisfied with the counselling they received.