Carole Whittingham and the other members of SCARD (Support and Care After Road Death and Injury) are courageous people. They have lost someone dear to them through a road accident, often because of so-called "joyriding", yet have somehow managed to turn their grief into positive action.

Many thousands of youngsters across Yorkshire in schools, colleges and young offenders institutions have already heard Mrs Whittingham and her colleagues talk about dangers on the roads since she launched the organisation after her 27-year-old son was killed in a crash involving a joyrider in Heckmondwike. She was in action again this week, talking to 200 pupils of Pudsey Grangefield School.

By telling the youngsters about her own experiences and showing them SCARD's film in which five families talk about the effect on them of bereavement through road death, she is able to put a human face on the grim statistics.

The fact is that far too high a proportion of road accidents involve young people, who often drive irresponsibly even when they are driving legally. Add to that the reckless driving that can accompany car theft, and youth and cars become a potentially-lethal combination.

Among the audience for the SCARD lectures will undoubtedly be some youngsters who will at some time be tempted to joyride. There will also be many others who at some stage in the future will drive too fast or, while talking on a mobile phone, put themselves and other road users at risk in some other way.

Anything which alerts them to the possible consequences of that behaviour has to be commended and encouraged.