Heartbroken family in new campaign film

Eleven years ago, the Carvin family lost a loving mother and wife, when Zoe Carvin, a teacher at Eglingham First School, was killed.

On February 16 2006, the 42-year-old was driving on the A1 when she stopped at temporary traffic lights at Denwick.

As lorry driver Andrew Chrisp checked a text on his mobile he failed to see Mrs Carvin’s Skoda and ploughed into the back of the car at 60mph. She died at the scene.

Chrisp, who was from Alnwick and 26 at the time, pleaded guilty for causing death by dangerous driving and served 18 months of a three-year sentence.

Now, Zoe’s husband Paul and children Emily and Ben feature in an emotional video, sharing their heartbreaking story about how their lives changed forever after the fatal crash.

The moving clip has been released by road-safety charity THINK! as part of a campaign highlighting the dangers of text driving and reminding drivers of the new stiffer penalties facing anyone caught using their phones at the wheel.

In the touching video, Paul says: ‘People use the word accident, it wasn’t an accident, it didn’t come about by accident. It was a road crash caused by somebody doing something that he shouldn’t have been doing.’

Emily adds: ‘Everything died that day, because that man decided to pick up his phone.’

The film concludes with Ben saying: ‘There is nothing that is so important that it cannot wait. Don’t use your phone whilst you’re driving’.

Using a handheld mobile phone while driving is illegal. It has been since 2003. At the start of this month, the penalties for holding and using your phone while driving increased; it is now six points and £200. It is not illegal to use hands free, but any time a driver’s attention is not on the road can be dangerous.