The horrifying dangers of speeding and joyriding were brought home to teenagers at a Pudsey school by a woman whose son died after his car was hit by a joyrider.

Carole Whittingham, of Rastrick, spoke to 200 16- and 17-year-olds pupils at Pudsey Grangefield School as a representative of SCARD (Supp-ort and Care After Road Death and injury).

In 1992 her 27-year-old son Steven was killed after a crash involving a joyrider in Heckmondwike.

Mrs Whittingham runs SCARD with a number of other members who have undergone similar experiences. They have addressed thousands of youngsters in schools, colleges and Young Offenders Institutions across Yorkshire to talk about dangers on the road.

Mrs Whittingham spent an hour with the Pudsey pupils this week and showed them the harrowing ten-minute video made by SCARD entitled Stolen Cars - Stolen Lives which features five Yorkshire families talking about bereavement through road death.

"I talked to the pupils and tried to put the message across that people of their age need to be much more responsible than previously," she said. I go in there and make clear what the negative effects of bad driving can be.

"Then I talked to them a little about what happened to me and my son.

"I gave them details about all the things which happened to make life difficult."

She was amazed by how many youngsters had been affected by road death or injury. "Particularly girls, but boys as well, have broken down in tears before and we've had to take them out," said Mrs Whittingham.

If a school has a particular problem with joyriding, speeding or another road-safety-related issue, her talk will be tailored to that.

"When they leave the workshop I want the youngsters to be in no doubt about the effects that a road death or injury has upon somebody, and that as adult drivers they have to take responsibility," said Mrs Whittingham.

"Years ago, everyone rem-embers the Tufty Club which was wonderful.

"But because the school curriculum has altered, there often isn't room for that sort of thing unless someone goes into schools voluntarily.

"I would like it to be obligatory that every child entering secondary education should sit through our workshop."

Mrs Whittingham will visit Priestthorpe School in Pudsey on October 15 and Crawshaw High School in Pudsey on November 10.