'A seatbelt would have saved Phoebe's life'

The mother of a 17-year-old girl who died after a crash has supported a campaign encouraging people to wear a seatbelt.

Phoebe Johnson was not wearing a seatbelt in the backseat of a car being driven by Melissa Keilloh, who had been drinking, when it crashed on the A514 in Derbyshire in October 2021.

Keilloh admitted causing death by careless driving when over the prescribed limit, and was sentenced to three years in a young offender institution in 2023.

Phoebe's mother, Nicky Johnson, said Keilloh and a front seat passenger, who were wearing seatbelts, both survived and she wanted to make sure people understood how important belts were.

Mrs Johnson said: "I know in my heart if Phoebe had been wearing a seatbelt, she would have walked away.

"The others walked away. It was the fact that she got ejected from the car that killed her."

The AA Charitable Trust's Belt Up In The Back campaign is aimed at raising awareness and saving lives.

"We want to support this campaign to help ensure people understand the importance of wearing a seatbelt and, hopefully, prevent other families going through a similar tragedy," said Mrs Johnson.

Phoebe, from Swadlincote in Derbyshire, was days away from her 18th birthday when she died.

Mrs Johnson described her daughter as "funny, kind and sassy".

"Phoebe was spirited and kind, she loved her family and friends and was doing well at college," she said.

Describing what happened, she said: "I dropped her off at a friend's house where they were house sitting about 15 miles away from home.

"I had arranged to pick her up at 09:30 the next morning, but the next time I saw her was in the hospital.

"Me and my husband were woken at midnight that night to the sound of a siren, blue lights and a banging on our front door.

"Two police officers told us Phoebe had been in a car crash and was very ill in hospital."

She said officers drove them to the hospital, where they were told Phoebe had suffered catastrophic head and neck injuries, and there was nothing they could do.

Mrs Johnson said the driver overtook another vehicle and then lost control on a bend on a dark country lane.

New analysis by the AA Charitable Trust shows almost half - 43% - of passengers aged between 17 and 29 who die in car crashes in England, Wales and Scotland are not belted.

Wearing a seatbelt reduces the risk of death by about 50%, the charity said, meaning about a quarter of all young car passenger deaths could be avoided if all young people put their belts on.

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