Think of Denii - road safety campaign
Denii Reynolds died in a fatal collision on a county road in October 2021. She was 20 years old.
Denii was a passenger in one of four cars that were being driven, in convoy, at speeds of up to 99 miles per hour on the night of the collision.
Her bereaved mum, Danielle Robinson, talks about the family’s devastation in a compelling video, Think of Denii, with a powerful message to anyone who would drive irresponsibly and take risks on our roads.
In tribute to Denii, her mum recalls the person she was: “She was ace. She grew into a beautiful little human. She was a small little thing, with a massive personality. She was really witty, really funny, really caring and kind. She was my best friend. Everybody who knew her, loved her.
“I can’t emphasise how missed she is. I have days when I can talk about her all day long and then I have days when I can’t speak about her at all. I don’t think they realise in one moment; they can cause such devastating effects. Denii didn’t know she wasn’t going to see the next day.
“If you are a driver, and you cause the death of someone else, you are going to affect everybody involved. It doesn’t go away for us. It’s something that stays. I would beg somebody not to drive like that, because I wouldn’t want another parent to feel how I feel.
“Just think before you drive like an idiot. People and cars kill if they are not used correctly together – and I have to live with that. If one person can see it; and think of Denii; and know Denii’s name; and know what happened to Denii, because of somebody else, then maybe they might think twice.”
Four men were sentenced to more than 30 years collectively for causing Denii’s death. At the time of the collision on the A16 at Utterby near Louth, they were aged between 17 and 21. That night, these four drivers had been racing at speed and although only one of them was in direct collision with a car coming the other way, they were all held responsible, they were all driving dangerously, they all caused Denii’s death.
Lincolnshire Police’s campaign, Think of Denni, will run through the summer, when historically, the force has seen an increase of 26% in the number of people killed or seriously injured on county roads (from a monthly average overall of 31, increasing to 38 in the months of July and August, based on figures from 2020 to 2024). In 2024, 52 people lost their lives on Lincolnshire roads.
Inspector Jason Baxter, of Lincolnshire Police Specialist Operations, said: “Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Denii’s mum and her family and friends. Denii should still be here, and would be, were it not for reckless and dangerous driving.
“A combination of youth and inexperience mean that young drivers are involved in a disproportionate number of serious collisions. The risks are exacerbated when carrying passengers and driving at night. Young drivers can over-estimate their ability and underestimate risk and we want to remind new drivers that they will have their licence revoked if they get six or more points within two years of passing their test.
“That said, we know that anyone can make a dangerous decision when in charge of a vehicle, so our message, to think of Denii, is to everyone driving or riding on our roads. Please take care, wear a belt, avoid distractions, don’t speed and don’t drink or drug drive.
“We would like to offer our deepfelt gratitude to Danielle. Her message is heartfelt, honest and brave, and we hope it will make a difference. When people think about taking a risk, we hope they will think of Denii. And perhaps another family can be spared the tragedy of losing a loved one to a needless collision.”
As set out inreported road casualties on gov.uk, nationally, in 2023, around a fifth of all killed or seriously injured (KSI) casualties from collisions involving cars, were in collisions which involved a young car driver. Young male car drivers aged 17 to 24 are four times as likely to be killed or seriously injured compared with all car drivers aged 25 or over.
For more information on young drivers and risk, please see theknowledge centre on the website for the road safety charity, Brake.