A GRIEVING mother is hoping that her son’s face staring out of a poster will make speeding motorists think twice.

Seven-year-old Tyrese Hannah, who died after he was knocked down by a driver in Drove Road, Swindon in 2008, has become the face of road safety charity Brake’s campaign for Road Safety Week.

His mother Caroline, who was with him at the time of the accident, hopes that the campaign can prevent future tragedies.

Caroline, 36, of Old Walcot, said: “It’s just heartbreaking to have experienced what I have experienced.

“You never imagine your child would be on a poster like that.

“You never think for one second that that could be you, but it happens and people fail to realise that.

“When drivers put their foot down, they should stop and think, ‘am I going to lose a loved one? What would it be like if I had to hold a loved one in my arms dying because of someone else’s irresponsibility?’.”

Caroline hopes that Swindon schools – including Lethbridge Primary, which Tyrese attended – will get behind the campaign during Road Safety Week at the end of November by contacting the charity.

Road Safety Week is designed to get schools to give pupils the knowledge, skills and attitudes to help stop them being hurt and work with their community and local officials to make local roads safer.

The idea is for children to make posters, which they can then hold outside the school in front of motorists.

Tyrese was walking with Caroline and dog Odi when they were hit by a speeding motorist who lost control of his car and mounted the pavement on March 14, 2008.

Tyrese died later in hospital. Odi also lost his life.

Sean Austin was jailed for three years at Swindon Crown Court last year for causing death by dangerous driving.

Traffic calming measures, which began this week, continue on Drove Road, but as Caroline points out, it is too late for her son.

Caroline said she now avoids Drove Road, preferring to take a longer route up Victoria Road because it is too painful to see the accident spot.

It also angers her, she said, to see drivers speeding there.

Even as Caroline posed for photographs with the poster on Drove Road, cars continued to drive past at questionable speeds.

Caroline said since the accident she has become increasingly aware of drivers speeding or using mobile phones and has often stopped motorists despite the abuse she has often received.

She said: “With the laws being so lenient people are going to continue to do it – if I can be the one to prevent one accident I know that I have done what I can do in all honesty from my heart, from personal experience.

“I’d like to think the poster can make a difference.

“It’s keeping his memory alive, you couldn’t have a greater tribute.”

Caroline continues to visit Tyrese’s gravesite at Whitworth Road every day and said her grief will never fade.

She said: “I’ll never lose that motherly instinct.

“Just because physically he’s not there I still feel like I need to tend to him.

“I’d rather not be tending his grave, but tending him, but that man took that away from me.”

For more information on Road Safety Week see the website www.roadsafetyweek.org.