Mum whose son was killed by a car launches petition to ban all phone calls while driving
Seth was just seven years old when he was killed crossing the road...
Alice Husband's life was changed forever when her son Seth was killed after getting hit by a car when he was just seven years old.
As the driver wasn't speeding or talking on a mobile phone, she was given a £90 fine and five points on her license. However, the coroner found that her hand-held device was a contributing factor that led to the driver, and fellow mum, hitting Alice's little boy with her car.
In a Facebook post Alice explained: 'Seth, my 7 year old son (nearly 8), died from his injuries after being hit by a car in December 2014 and he may have lived if the driver had not been chatting on the phone. We do know she would have been distracted, thus her reaction time slowed and the coroner found this contributed to his death.'
Speaking about her heartbreak on This Morning, Alice said it was the day of the Christmas fair and she'd sent Seth to post a letter in the post box just across the road. Even though she told him to be careful and look where he was going as he crossed the road, he was still hit by the car.
When Alice looked out the window and noticed something was happening, she told Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, 'I said to my other son "can you go up to path and just check".
'He said "mum I think it's Seth"'
But even though Alice went through something no parent should ever have to face, her response was inspiring. She told Ruth and Eamonn that that she was able to understand the driver's pain and could tell her to move on with her life.
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https://www.facebook.com/SignForSeth/photos/a.1148958378529613.1073741825.1148954641863320/1148958385196279/?type=3&theater
'I saw her at the inquest and so I followed her out of the room so I could speak to her because she was obviously upset she was shaking, she was suffering. I knew that I'm the only person who can say to her that she had to let it go for the sake of herself and her children and her family.
'Nothing is going to bring back Seth, but she needs to live her life - she's got a life, and she needs to do the best with it and look after her family and her children', she added.
Alice has now launched the Sign for Seth campaign and a petition in the hope that she can encourage the government to ban all calls from a mobile phone while driving, including hands-free devices.
https://www.facebook.com/SignForSeth/photos/a.1148981798527271.1073741828.1148954641863320/1148981695193948/?type=3&theater
She noted new research which found that talking on a hands-free device is more dangerous than talking to someone in the car. A fellow passenger will be aware of what's happening on the road, while a hands-free device is far more likely to be distracting.
Alice is hoping to reach 100,000 signatures so the petition can be discussed in Parliament. She has one month to get enough signatures and argues on the petition that: 'No phone call is worth a distraction that could cause death. Help save lives.'
Charlotte Whistlecroft is a former Family writer at GoodTo. She obtained a BA in Theology and Theological Studies at Durham University, going on to study a masters at City University London in 2016. Since leaving GoodTo she has worked as a Social Video Researcher at Mail Online and is now Assistant Producer at BBC Sport.